Back to You
by AJK86
Summary: "If you love someone, set them free. If the return to you, it was meant to be. If they don't, their love was never yours to begin with." OC. Morgan.
1. Chapter 1

**Back to You**

**Chapter 1**

-xx-

Derek Morgan could not help the grin crossing his face as he followed Penelope Garcia back to the table the BAU team had taken over. He could think of about fifty other things he would rather do on a Saturday night, but being with his second family was always a good time.

Galas and high profile events were not his cup of tea. He hated having to get all dressed up, but knowing a member from his team was being recognized this year was enough to get him in his nicest tux.

After all, they were a family, and they supported one another like a family. Even if it meant forking over for a hotel room to crash in after the Gala was over.

It was the FBI's Annual Holiday Gala and every year a few members of their local office were recognized either for their tenure or performance in the field. David Rossi was receiving an award for the prior. The Italian was in his fortieth year with the FBI.

Derek placed the handful of glasses on the table before taking a hold of his own. He preferred whiskey to wine, but he wasn't complaining when it was the only thing available at the open bar.

He took a seat at the table and sighed contently. This team had been through enough changes over the past few years.

Hotch leaving hit him hard, but he understood his former boss was only looking out for his son. Tara Lewis, Luke Alvez and Matt Simmons had become great additions to the team. It started with them filling in on certain cases; Reid would take more time off to visit his mother, and Rossi was mending relationships with his daughter and grandson.

Their numbers grew, and according to Penelope, it made for more people for her to adore. She was most definitely Mama Bear when it came to her team.

Emily Prentiss had stepped in and proven herself as an excellent Unit Chief. Derek felt less pressure with the new additions to the team; it had been Emily's call to permanently add to the team that they were used to. The loss of Hotch had put more on their plate and she could see her team getting burned out quickly.

"To Rossi," he heard the bubbly blonde next to his announce to the table after everyone's drinks were passed out. "Here's to an amazing career – it's not done yet," she added quickly causing a few laughs to escape from the team. "We love you!"

Cheers erupted from the table as everyone cheers'ed the Italian man. Derek took a hearty sip of the wine. Red was not his favorite, but it would do the trick tonight.

It would help settle his mind when he retired to his empty hotel room later that evening. They had learned years before to book rooms in the same hotel due to the open bar.

Derek caught the eye of the blonde sitting across the table from him. His best friend in the entire world. She offered a soft smile as she noted the look on his face. His expression screamed that he would prefer to be any where else at that moment, but Rossi appreciated them all being there for him.

Jennifer Jareau and Derek Morgan had established an unlikely friendship when she was sent to the State Department. They had met for a drink about a week after her new job started up. When she told him she liked it, he noticed the smile on her face never reached her eyes. She missed the BAU.

She missed her family.

They had all been there when her oldest son was born. They had all survived so much together and it made her sick how Strauss had no problem pulling her away from all of them.

She made it very clear to Derek that she planned to get back to their team. They would fit in training sessions at the gym when Derek was not in the field, and JJ was not in Afghanistan.

The blonde followed Derek's eyes as they scanned the ballroom. She could only shake her head as she knew what was going through Derek's mind.

The room was filled with all the local Bureaus and he had a whole room of eligible women to choose from. Someone to fill up the void in his hotel room later that night.

That was when he spotted the navy blue sequined gown from across the ballroom. JJ smirked as she noticed the flash of his eyes. His brow would lift just enough as he watched the brunette about six tables to their left.

Her back was to him, but he kept his eyes glued to how to fabric sparkled in the light of the ballroom. The dress fit her like a glove. It had been made for her.

JJ could barely contain her smug laugh as a man stepped to the mysterious woman's side and placed a kiss to her cheek. With her long brown locks down, her face was obstructed as she turned to the man to offer a smile.

Derek shook his head and finished off the glass of wine in his hand. He would be paying for the alcohol consumption tomorrow, but if he was going to bed by himself, it would be best to be three sheets to the wind.

-xx-

Derek smirked at the joke that just crawled out of Luke's mouth. Of the new additions, Luke and Derek became fast friends. They would spend their Friday and Saturday nights out of the office and in the bars.

"Do they have this every year?" Luke asked with a grown. His distaste grew as he turned to the near empty wine glass in his hand.

Derek nodded. "Sadly," he responded with a sigh. This whole shindig was taking too long. He could have easily found someone in his bar crawl to spend the evening with. He'd head back to her place and be gone by the time the sun came up. "I'm only here for Rossi."

Luke nodded before taking the last sip from his glass. "Same," he muttered.

He reached over to place his glass on the table but Derek intercepted and grabbed it from him. "We'll need a few more of these," he said with a laugh. "The speeches will start soon, and you want a good buzz going for those."

Luke smirked as Derek excused himself from the table. He grabbed a few more empty glasses on his way. The least they could do was make the open wine bar worth it. He was not playing around when the FBI picked up the tab for dinner and drinks.

Derek skirted his way through the crowd. He placed the empty glasses on a half full tray that was sitting by the bar to collect the empties.

After a quick pit stop to the restroom – a ploy to waste more time – Derek made his way towards the bar. He laughed in spite of himself as he saw the brunette in the navy dress at the bar.

Her back was still to him, but he could tell the conversation she was having with the brunette next to her was animated. Hands were going a mile an hour from both of them as they spoke.

She threw her head back as a laugh escaped her throat. Derek forced his hand in to a tight fist as his eyes traveled towards her rear end. He couldn't help it – he was a man, after all – and the way it fit her perfectly made it easy for checking out.

Every time she was move just a bit towards the bar, his eyes trailed up and down the length of her gown.

Derek groaned quietly as he stepped up to the bar to the bar. He grabbed a few bills from his pocket to place in to the basket for tips. He held up three fingers signifying the three glasses of wine he needed. JJ had pleaded with her eyes for a refill when he stood from their table.

Apparently he was at the bar too often as the barkeep knew exactly what he was talking about without having to say a word.

Derek tried his best to keep his eyes averted from the pair next to him but found it futile. This bartender had the slowest pour he had ever seen in his life. It was three glasses of wine; what was so difficult?

The brunette let out another hearty laugh, but this time her body shifted just enough to reach for the stack of napkins between herself and the man next to her. He watched, intrigued, as she turned to face the stack.

Her well manicured fingers wrapped around a few stark white napkins. Her face slowly turned to the man next to her as she felt his eyes on her. She offered a simple smile and turned back towards her friend.

Derek's brow lifted as he replayed the face he had just seen. He gently placed a hand to her bicep, causing her to turn back in his direction.

"Breezy?"

-xx-


	2. Chapter 2

**Back to You**

**Chapter 2**

-xx-

Derek's brow remained in a lifted position as the bartender placed the three glasses in front of him on the bar. He lost all interest in the alcohol as the next person in line scooted around him.

He lost himself in those hazel doe eyes as they doubled in size. It was like she had seen a ghost. He watched her mumble something to the woman she was with before turning to give Derek her full attention.

"Breezy," he repeated, this time less caught off guard. The low whistle that escaped his lips as his eyes traveled from her face towards her low neckline and back up again caused her lips to purse. "Wow, it's been," Derek sighed and shrugged. "Ten years?"

She smirked. "Fourteen," she answered simply. Breezy turned to the woman to her right. She smiled as she took her glass of wine from her. "I'll meet you at the table," she offered. Her smile gave away no hints to the woman with her, who shrugged and slipped out of the crowd at the bar.

Derek barely noticed the line becoming hasty next to him; they were in the way, but he didn't care. "How have you been?" he asked when she turned back to him.

He caught her chest rise and fall with a deep breath from the corner of his eye. He had to mentally remind himself to keep his eyes on her face and not her body. "Good," she replied shortly.

He smirked; fourteen years later and he was only getting one word answers. She had matured in those years. She was no longer the rail thin bookworm he remembered from college. Her body filled out and she rocked every curve in that gown.

She wore a face full of makeup and her once short brown hair sat in long curls down her back. Breezy rarely touched make up and hid behind her bangs in college. Her roommate would help her out if they had been invited to a party on campus – or for a date out with Derek.

"It's really good to see you," he said, breaking the tension. He could see the hesitation in her eyes. "You look amazing."

She smiled warmly at his compliment. "Thank you," she mumbled. Her cheeks were starting to flush; Derek knew she would blame it on the alcohol in her hand. She was never a big drinker in school.

But that was fourteen years ago, he reminded himself.

"You are the last person I expected to see here." The words left her lips before she could stop them. Breezy lifted a hand to her lips to force them closed. She could feel Derek's eyes narrow on the diamond adorning her left ring finger. Her cheeks flushed once more as she watched the realization cross his face. "Oh," she muttered as she thrust her hand back down to her side.

Derek watched as she clenched a fist, trying her best to hide the massive diamond. She tucked her knuckles against her thigh; the action looked unnatural but she did it with such ease. It may have been out of sight, but it was most definitely not out of mind.

Breezy slid a smile across her face as Derek looked back up from her left hand. "How have you been?" she asked sweetly. He could see the shock of running in to him had finally slipped away.

He smirked as she repeated the question he had asked her just a minute before. "I've been good," he answered. It was a play off of her answer and made her eyes twinkle with laughter. "How's the family?"

Her eyes averted his careful gaze at the question. Her lips pursed together. "My mom's doing well," she offered. "My brother got married and they have three kids."

He noted no mention of her father and the quiet that entrapped her when he asked. He remembered back to when he would tease her for being such a daddy's girl. "And your dad?" he asked softly.

Breezy took a quick sip of her wine; he smirked as she grimaced at the taste. "Cancer." One word was all she was going to be able to brave at that moment. Her lips remained in a tight line as she watched that one word nag at Derek's core.

The brunette turned over her shoulder; Derek thought it was to avoid his cautious gaze, but he could hear her name being called over the noise of the ballroom. Derek shook his head to clear out the thoughts clouding it. She was always Breezy to him. It was weird hearing someone other than her parents calling her Breanna. He didn't miss the cringe at her full name, either.

"It was good to see you, Derek," she offered quietly as she placed her hand on Derek's forearm and gave it a squeeze.

Before he could reply to her words, she had slipped through the line at the bar to start back towards her table. Derek ran a hand over his face as he turned back to the three glasses of wine sitting on the bar next to him.

Alcohol was not even appealing to him right now, no matter the kind. He could go to the bar in the lobby and nothing would satisfy for the taste he was craving at that moment.

It was a taste he hadn't had in over a decade, but seeing the brunette in front of him – and looking the way she did – erased those years from his mind.

"Morgan," he turned to his right at the tone that only Jennifer Jareau was capable of. "Where is my wine?" she asked with a laugh. She could never be serious over a glass of alcohol.

He smirked as he shook the cobwebs from his head. He reached for a glass on the counter and handed it to the petite blonde.

She furrowed her brows as she watched Derek's slow movements. It was unlike him to be not be able to stay on task for something so simple. "What's up?" she asked as they started to make their way to the clearing behind the bar line. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"I feel like I did," he answered solemnly. JJ turned on a dime to question him further but the look on his face warned her not to. "Bree," he answered her silent question. Saying her nickname right now would just add salt to the wound.

The 'o' shape JJ's lips curled in to made Derek snicker, as did the way she tried to be discreet about checking out the room. Jennifer was a lot of things, but discreet and subtle were not on that list after a few glasses of wine.

Derek gestured in the brunette's direction with a jut of his chin. No sooner did he glance in her direction, did the man she was smiling at earlier step to her side once more. Derek could feel the glass in his hand start to shake at the tight grip he administered.

He let out a discontented sigh before stepping around the blonde in the direction of their table. He was not sure why he was getting upset; he had no claim over Bree. What they had was over years ago. Derek had moved on with his life. Why did it bother him that she had too?

Was she supposed to sit and wait for him to come back? Wait for him to call her and admit he was wrong.

Derek placed the glass of wine on the table in front of Luke's discarded tuxedo jacket. He at least hoped his co-worker was able to snag some tail that night, because he knew he was going back to his hotel room by himself.

JJ swatted him on the arm as she made her way to the table. Due to her friend taking off on her, she found herself stuck in an exchange of hellos and pleasantries with two people from the office. She could not remember their names if she tried.

"You know she can't be left by herself," Will drawled from his seat next to the one JJ occupied on the opposite side of Luke. "Three glasses of wine, and she don't remember any one's names."

The blonde shrugged her shoulders at her husband's words. "Yeah," she said with a chuckle. "Let's blame the wine."

Derek chuckled; it was true – to put it bluntly, JJ sucked at remembering people's names. He couldn't count how many times she asked him in the field what someone's name was. "We meet too many people," Derek argued on her behalf. "It's hard to remember every one."

JJ sent a smile in his direction as he stuck up for her. It was harmless teasing, and she got it from the entire team. She attributed it to prolonged baby brain.

The black man took a seat at the table. He tried his best, but his eyes kept wandering over to the table to the left. "You're staring," JJ muttered before taking a sip of her wine.

She smirked at the groan that escaped his lips. It had been a slip of the tongue when he mentioned Breezy to JJ years before.

Jennifer had been questioning her long distance relationship with Will. It was an honest question - "Have you ever been in love?" It has taken him a minute to answer.

He blamed it on the near empty bottle of Jack Daniels. It was not like Derek to bare his soul to anyone. Not since Breezy got away fourteen years before.

JJ had pointed out his affinity for one night stands; she wanted to know if there was anything else to the man she worked with. She wondered why he never tried to settle down; in all of the years she had known him, he never introduced her to anyone.

Derek had given her the short version. His version.

The blonde glanced toward her best friend and sighed. If his story was to hold water, she knew he would not be moping like he was. There had to be more than what he told her years before. His eyes screamed that there was more to be told.

JJ pursed a smile to her lips as Luke returned to his seat between the blonde and her best friend. He placed a tray full of wine glasses to the table. "Guess we'll have to drink up," he joked when he spotted the one Derek brought back. "It took you long enough."

Derek applied a smirk to his face. One person knew, and that was enough for now. A quiet hum covered the ballroom as the lights began to dim just a bit signaling the beginning of the speeches. Their table filled in; Garcia returned to his left. He chuckled as he could hear her toeing off her heels under the table.

This was not their first rodeo. Everyone knew how long the speeches were. Emily shuffled her index cards in front of her as she prepared for Rossi's introduction. She was less than thrilled about speaking in front of a room full of her peers and supervisors, but she knew it meant a lot to Dave. With Hotch in witness protection and Erin Strauss passing away in the line of duty, it left Emily with the task.

"You'll be fine, Em," Derek encouraged as he lifted his glass of wine. The new Unit Chief offered a pursed lip smile in his direction, followed by a nod as she went back to putting her speech in order.

Derek rested the wine glass against his lower lip as he caught a glance from Breezy out of the corner of his eye. She had looked over her shoulder in his direction. Her bottom lip snuck between her pearly whites as her eyes met his.

Embarrassed, she tucked her head back towards the table in front of her. Derek could only smirk at her reaction.

-xx-


	3. Chapter 3

**Back to You**

**Chapter 3**

-xx-

Derek smirked as he adjusted his grip on the plaque Dave had received earlier in the night. "Mighty fine hardware here, Rossi," he said with a chuckle. The Italian laughed in response. "Forty years and you get this," Derek pointed out as he held out the wooden piece with one hand before handing it back to his mentor.

"Thirty more to go," Rossi quipped towards Derek. The thirty-eight year old groaned at Rossi's words. He had seen a lot in the ten plus years he had been on the team but he did not know if he could stomach another thirty.

"We'll see about that," he answered softly. It was twenty-six years until he reached Dave's milestone, but who was really counting at that point? Derek handed the plaque back to his mentor before walking back towards his vacated seat at the table.

Penelope, JJ and Emily had gone off to the restroom to freshen up after dinner. That was another thing Derek did not mind – the FBI did not skimp on their formal meals. A hearty filet and all the fixings was just what he needed.

"Who's over there?" Luke asked softly as he stepped towards his co-worker. He jutted his chin in the direction of the table Derek could not tear his eyes away from. A smirk crossed Derek's lips as he realized he had been caught by someone other than JJ's keen eye.

He was trying his best not to stare, most specifically after JJ pointed it out to him. He was not ready to introduce the world to the one woman who screwed him up beyond belief. "We went to school together," he covered. The words came out smooth, as they were the truth.

Luke smirked as he noticed Derek hastily downing the remainder of his wine. The brunet next to him nodded to someone in the distance before clapping his hand to Derek's shoulder. "The lies we tell ourselves, huh?" he asked with a shake of his head. "Tell yourself whatever you need to. We're hitting the town after this shit is over."

Before Derek could open his mouth, his buddy had skirted around him to follow a petite redhead to the dance floor. His eyes traveled over the ball room. His female co-workers had pulled Tara to the dance floor with them after returning from the restroom.

Krystall stood next to her husband; her smile was contagious as she caught his gaze. He was happy for Rossi. Not many people got a second chance at love, let alone a fourth like the senior agent did.

Matt Simmons was entertaining his wife as they sat at the adjacent table. Derek could not shake the jealousy. That man had it all. The career, the beautiful wife and adorable kids. While most of his team struggled with life outside of their work, Matt, JJ, and Rossi made it all look easy.

With a grunt, Derek shook his head and turned just slightly to further examine the room. It was an array of overpriced tuxedos and gowns. One glance proved how many women in the room took the Gala as an excuse to head off to the salon for their up-dos and make-up applications.

It was as if a spotlight caught Breezy as she glanced up from her conversation with two women at her table. His dark brown orbs locked on to her hazel eyes. She could not look away if she tried, but Derek prided his ego by saying she wasn't trying to.

Derek gestured towards the open door way of the ballroom with a tilt of his head. She offered no answer besides pursing her lips together as she watched him. It was as if their lock of eyes never happened, as she effortlessly continued her conversation with the women flanking her.

The black man forced a breath to his lungs before excusing himself from the table. Rossi nodded, as did the others sitting around them. He stood from his seat and started moving towards the doorway. He thrust a hand in to his pocket to portray the calm he wished would take over his insides.

He was Derek Morgan; no woman ever made him that nervous. So why could he feel a bead of sweat drip down his back?

It was the tux. It had to be. This thing hung in the back of his closet until these sorts of events. It was stuffy and if he was being honest, not the perfect fit anymore.

Derek reached for a bottle of water from the tray next to the bar on his way towards the open double doors of the ballroom. His legs were eager to go on a longer walk, presumably back to his room or to the bar downstairs. The speeches were longer this year. After Rossi received his award, he began to ignore what was being said on stage.

Instead, he rested against the ornate railing and overlooked the front lobby of the hotel. The bar was close enough. He could run down the spiral staircase and grab a whiskey before any one noticed he was missing.

But just then, he turned to peek over his shoulder. The lighting from the ballroom followed Breezy out as she strode over to where he was standing.

Her face told the story; she knew she should have stayed in the ballroom, but her feet seemed to move on their own accord. She shot a look back over her shoulder and sighed contently when she realized she was alone. It had taken quite a bit of convincing for her friends to let her head to the restroom by herself.

She was thirty-six years old, not a young girl who wanted her friends to join her in the bathroom. She didn't need anyone to fix up her make-up, or remind her that she was pretty and deserved better than the guy flirting her up at the bar.

Derek's eyes ran over her ensemble once more. She was not the twenty-two year old he left behind in Chicago. That young woman would have never attempted the heels that this woman seemed to perfect. He guessed they had to be at least three inches in height because he was not used to Breezy being almost as tall as him.

"Hey," she offered as she stepped up to the railing next to him. Derek smirked as the pair overlooked the barren front lobby. "It's really good to see you," she admitted honestly.

The words came out airy, and if he was not mistaken, she accented 'really'. "How'd you wind up in these parts?" Derek asked softly. He would not betray his playboy mantra by letting her know that her mere presence affected his psyche.

Bree scoffed at the question with a laugh. "Hello to you, Derek," she said with a roll of her eyes. He smirked in spite of himself at hearing his name drop from her lips. "I heard they had this huge gala going on tonight. It's a tough ticket to get," she quipped sarcastically. "So a few girlfriends of mine and I decided we haven't gotten all gussied up in a while and wanted to attend."

Derek shook his head as a laugh escaped his lips. "It's great to see you too, Breezy," he replied, knowing that her sarcasm was a cover for her desire to hear those words. "It's been too long."

"Far too long," she confirmed with a nod. "Fourteen really long years," she exhaled at the end of those words and shrugged. Bree turned her face just enough to take in his profile. From the scruff on his face, to those eyes she once loved sweeping over her frame, Derek had grown up quite a bit since she had last seen him.

The only sounds came from behind them in the ballroom. Derek was sure she could hear his heart beating like crazy in his chest. If not, the pulse in his throat was sure to give him away.

A simple smile crossed her soft pink lips as she tried her best to ignore the awkward silence they found themselves entranced in. Fourteen years ago, the two would have never found themselves in an awkward anything. "So," she blurted out, trying her best to cut the silence. "Where's Mrs. Morgan?" she asked as she looked around the hallway.

Derek's boisterous laugh caused her to giggle. Her eyes returned to the man next to her. "The only Mrs. Morgan I know is back in Chicago, hanging out with her grand-babies."

"Grand-babies?" the brunette asked. Her face paled at the word. Her tongue darted out of her mouth to moisten her suddenly dry lips.

Derek smirked at the expression crossing her face. "Desi's twins," he assured her. His smirk grew as he watched her face slowly return to neutral. "None for me."

Her lip slid back between her teeth. She was sure she was seeing things, but she could have sworn she saw Derek grip the railing under his hand at her action. "That's a shame," she muttered.

"What about you?" he asked simply. He gestured to her left hand and the diamond even a blind man couldn't miss. He forced a smile to his face. "Who's the lucky guy?"

Her happy outer appearance fought with the groan in her throat. Bree checked over her shoulder and released a relieved sigh when she noticed they were alone. "His name is Eddie," she answered softly. "Eddie Kelleher."

Derek pursed his lips. The name sounded familiar but he could not place it. "Out of the Richmond office or Norfolk?" he asked. There was no way he could be in the same office as Derek and his team.

"Quantico," she answered. The pride she had when she spoke the word caused his grip on his water bottle to tighten. The glimmer of a smile crossed her lips for a mere second. "Just recently, though," Breezy quickly covered. "We're in the process of moving from Richmond."

Derek pursed his lips. _We_, the word was almost enough to make his filet come back up again. "Kelleher, huh?" he asked to no one in particular, but noticed her curt nod. "I'll keep an eye out for him."

Breezy released a sigh. He was dismissing her. His tone was clear to read. How else did he think she ended up at this Gala? It was invite only, and only to FBI Agents and their spouses. "Oh," she mumbled softly.

"It was good to see you, Breezy," he said softly. Derek pushed off of the railing but stopped when she placed a hand to his forearm.

She did not look back at him but closed her eyes as she could feel the pulsing in his wrist under her fingers. "What was I supposed to do, Derek?" she asked hastily. The silence between words proved that he would not answer. Hazel eyes slowly opened as she took in his profile once more. "Wait for you to come back?"

"I promised I would," he answered in a harsh whisper. His head turned slowly towards her. "And when I went back for you, you were gone."

She vowed to not let the tears burning at her eyes escape. "You promised," she repeated. Derek dropped his head at the crack in her voice. "I couldn't wait my entire life for the idea that you actually wanted me."

"I've wanted you since the moment I saw you outside of Kellogg," he cut her off with a reminder of the first time they met. She licked her lips as she looked out over the railing to the empty space across from them. The plain paint color only worsened how she was feeling on the inside. He sighed. "I know I made you wait too long."

She shook her head as she removed her hand from his wrist. "Three years was not fair," she mumbled, not daring to catch his gaze. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and grunted. "Having _no one_ by my side when my father died was not fair."

Bree turned her body to look at Derek. He slumped in his position against the railing. Derek fought the urge to reach out to swipe away the stray tear that escaped those hazel eyes he loved. "If I could just go back –"

"That's the thing," she muttered as he finally lifted his head to look at her. She swatted at the tear as it landed on her cheek. Her lips contorted as she fought to release the next two words. "You can't."

Without another word, the brunette stepped away from him. She was on the fast track towards the restroom. Derek hung his head back down as both hands gripped the railing. His closed water bottle slipped from his finger tips and clattered at his feet.

He had no one else to blame but himself. He promised to go back to Chicago, but he never made it back. And when he finally did, she was gone.

-xx-


	4. Chapter 4

**Back to You**

**Chapter 4**

-xx-

"C'mon man," Luke beckoned as he placed a hand to Derek's shoulder. He gently pushed his shoulder in the direction of the door. "We're hitting the town. The Uber is just about here."

Derek barely looked up from the whiskey glass in his hand. Most people either retired to their hotel rooms or left the hotel completely. There was a small group in the back corner of the hotel bar cheering and hollering over a card game.

Derek wanted to be alone with his drink. "I'm gonna pass, man," he said before turning his eyes up at the brunet next to him. "Next time," he offered, trying his best to plaster a smile to his face.

Luke turned back to the redhead waiting in the doorway of the hotel. The sliding doors kept opening and closing at her presence. "Your loss," he said with a shrug. Luke hoped his words were enough to coerce his co-worker in to joining them for a night out, but he knew it was a lost cause.

He threw his hands up in the air and sighed before stepping away from the black man at the bar.

He meant well, Derek admitted to himself, but tonight was not a night to find a random woman in a bar. It most likely would have been if Breezy did not waltz in to the Gala, but he was in no mood to make friendly with a drunken woman in a bar.

The buzz from the wine had disappeared as he watched her dance across the ballroom with Eddie Kelleher. The snarl Bree sent in his direction after she noticed Derek watching was enough to pour out the remainder of the glass in his hand.

Nothing was going to take the edge off now. She was more powerful than a drug – always had been. Even as an eighteen year old freshman in college, she was addicting.

She was his first real relationship; he was her first everything.

How he had been lucky enough to be her first, he was clueless. _"Are you waiting for marriage?" he asked honestly. _

"_Would that matter?" she asked quietly. Bree pulled her legs up to her chest as she adjusted her position on the top of Derek's bed. She smirked at the look crossing his face. "No, I'm not," she said as a laugh escaped her lips. _

_In six months, she never let him get further than kissing. And it was turning out to be a long six months. "So what is it, Breezy? Why wait?" Her hazel orbs shone as the question danced around in her mind._

_She licked her lips. "Because any other guy was not you," she offered, regarding any man she had met before him. "And then I wanted to be sure this was the real deal." She was not going to rush what she found. Her legs slowly started to stretch across the bed. Derek ran a hand over the sweatpants she had borrowed from him. _

He shook his head, trying his best to erase the memory as it played. Derek wanted to make their first time special, but Breezy announced she would be coming over to his dorm after class. They were three days shy of their first Valentine's Day together. That would have been perfect, but she had other things in mind.

There were too many memories, and the years that stood between did nothing to tarnish them.

He always wondered about Bree but he thought it was not right to reach out after all of the years. Now, as he sat nursing his drink, he wished he did reach out. One phone call could have changed their futures.

She would not be with that agent, right? He sighed; there was no definite answer to the question stirring in his mind – would she be with him? He shrugged as he came to the realization that she would still end up with someone other than himself.

"Is this seat taken?" Derek glanced slightly over his shoulder, but quickly did a double take as he turned the rest of the way. He found himself immersed in the floral scent dripping off of her. She must have taken a shower but her hair remained dry in a messy bun on the top of her head.

His smile gave away the answer, as did his open hand he gestured towards the seat. "All yours," he offered as Breezy slid in to the empty seat next to him. She smiled in his direction as she adjusted her t-shirt after sitting.

"I hope you don't mind," she muttered. He shook his head. The bartender stepped away from the hockey game on TV to take her drink order.

Derek could only chuckle as she ordered a vodka and soda water. "Girly drink," he said with a laugh. She shrugged as her hazel eyes watched the barkeep put her drink together. "You've never been a big drinker," Derek noted.

Breezy shrugged as she thanked the bartender when he drink was placed in front of her. "Things change," she answered softly. Her eyes turned to him as she placed the straw between her lips and took her first sip. "We both know I'm not a wine drinker," she said.

Her comment made Derek flash back to earlier that evening. To their chance encounter at the bar. To Breezy in that low cut navy gown. Her eyes twinkled as the lights reflected off of the sequins on her dress.

She still wore a minimal amount of make-up, but he grinned when he noticed her freckles were on full display for the first time that evening. They splashed across the tops of her cheeks and her nose. Derek forced a sip of whiskey down his throat as he remembered lying in bed, connecting the dots on her face with the tip of his finger.

It was as if Bree could feel the same thing. Her breath caught in her throat as she mixed the drink in front of her. She hastily took another sip; she fought a cough as she noticed the strong pour the bartender had.

"Where's the husband?" Derek asked nonchalantly. He glanced over his shoulder and realized Bree made it downstairs alone.

She smirked as her eyes followed the game on television. Was that jealousy she was picking up in his tone? His body hunched over the bar as he turned back to facing the various bottles across from him. "He's not my husband," she answered. Her eyes sparkled in the back-lighting of the bar as she turned to him.

Derek motioned to the ring on her left ring finger. "That doesn't look like he isn't your husband."

She bit her lower lip at the twinge of hurt in his voice. Bree shook her head and rolled her eyes when her bangs slid out of the bobby pin holding them back from her face. She placed her left hand on the bar top and sighed. "He's my fiancé," she corrected.

The scoff that came out of Derek's lips caused her to narrow her eyes in his direction. She watched as he chugged the remainder of the whiskey in his glass before asking for a refill. "Husband," he scoffed once more, "Fiancé – it's all the same."

"No, it's not," she answered quietly. She fought with herself to stay in the hotel room tonight. The smart move would have been to stay in and put on some stupid movie to keep her mind off of him.

She had watched him stalk off towards the elevator before the end of the Gala, and noted that the lights showed he was going upstairs. The smile crossing her face at the realization was cause for concern when Eddie followed her to the hallway.

"_Too much wine," _she had assured him when she explained that she just needed some space. He had ushered her back in to the ballroom as if he noticed nothing out of the ordinary. She was not a wine drinker – she was barely a drinker – so the excuse for air seemed normal to him.

"Where is he?" Derek asked. His voice was quiet, not that there was anyone around to bother. The group in the back of the bar was not privy to their conversation, he decided.

Her fingers played with the band of her engagement ring as she nibbled on her lower lip. "Asleep," she answered in a hushed tone. She had to force herself to stop touching the piece of jewelry when she felt Derek's eyes land on it again.

It was tough to miss, and way bigger than she ever wanted. The three carat princess cut diamond was flanked by two smaller diamonds on a platinum band. It seemed to weigh her hand down any time she wore it.

"So you left your _fiancé_," he began, emphasizing the last word, "asleep upstairs to come hang out with me?" Bree rolled her eyes as she realized what Derek was insinuating.

She licked her lips as her shoulders shrugged. "When you put it that way," she said, letting the words linger between the two of them. "Though, I didn't think I'd find you down here."

Derek smirked. "Sure you didn't," he answered.

Bree crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back on the bar-stool. "Wow," she whistled. "Cocky much?"

"I've always been cocky, Breezy," Derek replied. Her brow lifted as she turned her head just slightly to look at him. "You knew that, though."

The purse of her lips gave away his answer. If he was being honest, he thought he could see her force a breath through those lips as he turned to match her gaze. They may have had fourteen years between them, and she may have grown up quite a bit in that time, but deep down, he knew the girl he fell in love with at nineteen was still there.

Love. That was a hard word for Derek to wrap his head around. He knew he found it when he met Breezy, but walking away from her three and a half years later definitely broke his heart.

He could not pass up an offer from the FBI, and Breezy backed him the entire time. Or so he had thought.

"Why did you tell me to go?" he asked as his eyes traveled the length of her face. The oversized Chicago Blackhawks t-shirt and tight jeans were a welcome change from their dressed up attire from before. He did not feel under-dressed in a henley and jeans.

Her eyes closed for a moment as she processed the question. Slowly her shoulders shrugged then slumped against the back of her seat. "It was your dream, D," she offered softly as her eyes fluttered back open. "I wasn't going to hold you back in Chicago."

Derek sighed as he thought about what she said. It was reminiscent to the last night they spent together fourteen years before. "I should have had you come with me," he said with a downcast look covering his face.

She reached across to place her hand on top of his. The two would be lying if they said they didn't feel a thing. The electricity was evident between the pair. At the jolt, Breezy took her hand back and cradled it in her lap as if she had been burned. "We both know I couldn't."

"Not right away," he followed up. She nodded. "But I shouldn't have waited three years. I just got so –"

"Busy," Breezy finished for him. Her lips settled in a tight line as she understood what he was saying. "I know." Derek ran a hand over his face and caught her slip her lip between her teeth from the corner of his eye.

She had been two months away from graduating with her Bachelor's Degree. It was not a good time for her to be moving across the country with him, as much as she wanted to. And then her own job offers started to pour in.

Bree was getting offers from companies around the country. She joked with Derek that it was because Northwestern was so prestigious, but they both knew it was due to being in the top three of her graduating class.

She held out as long as she could. She maintained her job at a local family owned restaurant over the summer as she waited for a job offer to bring her to Virginia. Her parents told her she was crazy wishing for a job to bring her back to Derek.

As far as they were concerned, he left. He was gone and not coming back for her. But she held out until her father's death at the hands of cancer three years later. That was when she decided she was done waiting and moved as far away from Chicago as she could get.

-xx-


	5. Chapter 5

**Back to You**

**Chapter 5**

-xx-

Derek pursed his lips as Breezy pushed her empty cocktail glass across the bar top. Her soft smile caused it to be refilled almost instantly. He chuckled as he noticed the bartender was becoming smitten with the brunette as well. _Tough not to be, _he thought to himself.

Fourteen years was a long time, but it felt like no time had passed as they continued their conversation over the next hour. She had been quick to dismiss a friend that had stopped in the lobby for a late night snack.

Carrie Evans was another FBI spouse and the first person Breezy became friends with upon Eddie's transfer to Quantico. Derek watched in surprise as Breezy quickly came up with a story for why she was in the bar and Eddie was upstairs.

"_He's such a light sleeper," Breezy covered quickly when her friend asked about her fiancé. "I knew the 'Hawks were playing tonight, so I thought I'd come down here for the game." She reached for her mixed drink and smiled. "Carrie, have you met Derek Morgan? He works out of the Quantico office as well." _

_The shorter brunette shook her head as Derek extended his hand. "I don't think we've met before," she said softly. Bree forced a sip of the alcohol through the straw as she watched Carrie check Derek out right in front of her. _

"_Pleasure is mine," he added with a smirk in her direction. Bree tried to refrain from lifting her brow in her ex-boyfriend's direction but found the action to be too obvious. Instead, she swallowed the words in her mouth and plastered a smile to her face. _

_The brunette looked over Bree's shoulder to see she was in fact telling the truth. The game had just come back from a commercial with the Blackhawks leading 3-1 in the third period. "How'd you meet this one?" _

_Bree shrugged. "Poor guy has been stuck next to me while I scream at the TV," she continued, knowing her friend was falling for the story. _

"_She gets quite animated," Derek added. "Carrie, it was nice to meet you." He turned back towards the television and pretended to care about the hockey game. _

_The dismissive tone did not fall on deaf ears. The shorter brunette smiled as she readjusted her grip on the two bags of chips in her hand. "I'll see you tomorrow, Breanna." _

_Derek tried to cover the snicker coming out of his mouth by taking a sip of his whiskey. "Of course," she said before taking another sip of her drink. She placed the glass to the counter-top and cringed when it hit a little harder than expected. She could feel Carrie's eyes travel between the pair when Derek reached out to stop her drink from tumbling over. "Goodnight, Carrie." _

_The brunette nodded before slipping out of the bar area. "You are such a liar," Derek whispered harshly when she was out of earshot. _

"_Shut up," she quickly answered with a roll of her eyes. "The last thing I need is for Carrie to say something to her husband." _

_Derek chuckled before taking a sip of his drink. He nodded when the bartender reached for the bottle of Jack Daniels. "Say something like what? We're just two people sitting at a hotel bar watching hockey." _

_Bree ignored his statement and leaned across the bar to get the bartender's attention. "Make that two, please," she asked sweetly. _

Derek tightened the grip on his glass as Breezy continued her conversation with the bartender. Her friendly persona did not change over the years. She was always the first to make conversation with anyone, but also the first to point out when someone was full of shit.

He knew she was counting down the minutes until she was able to call him out for being a moron again. She had made jabs about him leaving her all night. They were the last two in the bar, and Preston, Breezy's buddy behind the bar, seemed to be ready to wrap it up for the night.

Her shot glass sat flipped over on top of the bar in front of her. She offered a smile before sitting back in her seat and resting her lower back against the padding behind her. "What's that look for?" she asked without even turning her head to face him. Her brow rose when he did not answer right away.

"What look?" he tried to cover.

She shook her head. "You're looking at me like I'm a nineteen year old girl again." She pushed back the bottle of water Preston had given her just minutes before.

"I am not," he argued. If he was being honest, he was watching the only woman he truly loved prove to him that she had moved on. They may be in the same state now, but things were definitely different.

Bree scoffed as he tried to ignore the conversation. "Now who's the liar?" She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head to face him. He smirked; gone was the sweet woman who made friends with everyone as the spitfire took over. She was always the first to keep his ass in line when he needed it. "Don't throw stones, Agent Morgan."

Derek placed his glass down and sighed. "Don't go there, Breezy," he said softly. The brunette narrowed her eyes in his direction. "No need to call me Agent."

"It's what you are, though. Am I right?" He offered a slight nod of his head. She shrugged her shoulders before releasing her curls from the bun at the top of her head. "What am I supposed to call you, then?" She could feel the emotion rising in her chest. It was a combination of lost time and her alcohol consumption. "Derek Morgan – the love of my life? The man who broke my heart fourteen years ago?"

The slur that came out at the end of her question caused him to purse his lips. "Come on," he urged as he stood from his seat. He slipped his hotel key to the bartender so he could charge the bill to his room. He slid the card back in to his pocket and followed up with leaving a cash tip before offering Breezy his hand. "I'll help you get upstairs."

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she lifted her face up to take him in. "I can't go up now," she mumbled. She reached for the water bottle and took a long sip of the cold liquid. She knew Eddie would hear her stumble in to the room and she was in no mood to answer questions right now. "Besides, you don't know where my room is."

"I can go to the front desk –" He was cut off by the laughter that escaped Breezy's lips.

She smirked before answering him. "And do what? Drop the FBI card to get my room number?" Her laugh took over once more as she gripped the side of the bar to hold herself upright. "In case you didn't notice, D," she used her nickname on purpose, "this hotel is filled with FBI Agents. You're no unique and tender snowflake right now."

"Suit yourself, Bree," he offered before stepping away from their two bar-stools.

Bree narrowed her eyes in his direction as he walked away from her. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked as she caught up to him at the side door leading to the courtyard. The bar may have been closing but the courtyard was open for another hour.

Derek silently held the door open for the brunette but grabbed her forearm as she slipped around him. He let the door slam behind him and thanked his lucky stars that they were alone on the patio. "You're what's wrong with me, Breezy."

She pulled her arm away from him and stumbled back two steps. "You're an asshole, you know that right?" His smirk caused her to plant her hands on her hips. "I am not your problem anymore."

"Is that what you think you are?" he asked, not bothering to cover how her accusation startled him. "A problem?" She pursed her lips and turned her head away from his line of sight. "Or is that how he treats you?"

Her eyes flared at his words. "You know _nothing _about my relationship!" she called across the space between them. "Who do you think you are?"

Derek crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "You said it yourself, Breezy," he said softly, trying his best to calm himself down. "You left your fiancé upstairs to come down and hang out with me."

"I didn't even know you were going to be there!" she argued. Breezy shifted her weight back and forth from her left to right foot as she shook her head. "You're still a self-centered asshole!"

Derek nodded before licking his lips. "You're right, Breanna," he said, knowing how it annoyed her to be called by her full first name. "But what's that make you? You're still mad at me for something out of my control?"

"Are you bringing my father in to this?" she asked with eyes narrowed in his direction. "You don't deserve to talk about him!" The anger in her expression was evident, but Derek stood firm in his position in front of the door.

"What I don't deserve," he started, his voice gradually softening as he tried to calm himself, "is to be blamed for everything, Bree." The truth in his words caused Breezy to turn her back to him as she tried to clear her emotions. "We're both at fault here, Breezy," he continued.

Her head hung as Derek's words washed over her. Her body shook as she forced deep breaths in and out of her mouth.

Derek sighed. "I can't change the past," he said dejected. Derek rested back against the door, adequately keeping anyone from walking out to the courtyard and being able to keep Breezy in front of him. "I wish I could, babe, but I can't."

Breezy whipped around on a dime and stared at him with her mouth wide open. "You can't call me that," she said as her lips trembled. Her defenses fell with the muttering of one term of endearment.

He pursed his lips as he watched the emotion cross her face. "I'm sorry," he muttered. He wasn't, but he didn't need her any more upset with him.

"I need to get back upstairs," she said as she tried to pull herself back together. Her hands wiped away the tears staining her cheeks. A few blinks and a deep breath caused her to look refreshed; Derek noted that the act seemed too familiar to her. "I should go."

He nodded. He was not ready for another battle of the words with the woman in front of him. She stepped across the patio in a few short steps and stopped in front of Derek's much larger frame. "This can't be the last time I see you," he mumbled as she stood in front of him.

Her lips curled in to a smile. "It should be," she stated firmly, but shrugged when her eyes locked with his. The hand shielded by the wall to her right, rather than the bank of windows to her left, reached out and wrapped her fingers around his hand. "But it probably won't be."

Derek pursed his lips as she stepped to the side and waited for him to move so she could open the door. He obliged and moved just enough for her to slip in the doorway.

He could not fight the urge to watch as she stepped down the hallway towards the bank of elevators at the end of the hall. He watched over his shoulder as she stepped inside the elevator and smiled in return of her smirk when the doors closed in front of her.

Derek let out a deep breath before stepping further in to the courtyard. The fireplace had been shut down for the night, but Derek found himself drawn towards it. It may have been around fifty degrees outside, but the temperature did not bother him. It was nothing compared to the fire in his belly.

Never in a million years did he expect to see Breezy at the Gala but he knew there was a reason she was brought back in to his life.

-xx-


	6. Chapter 6

**Back to You**

**Chapter 6**

-xx-

Derek pulled the pillow off of the top of his head and groaned. He tried his best to ignore the pounding at his hotel room door, but the person on the other side was not giving up. He haphazardly tossed the pillow next to him on the bed before pushing back the covers and sliding out of bed.

The black man stretched as he started towards the pounding; the door was no match for the pounding in his head. "Who is it?" he called out groggily. He groaned as he made his way towards the banging.

He sighed as he bent over to pick up the hotel receipt. He scanned his eyes over the page quickly; his eyes reread the memo line at the bottom. "It's JJ. Time for breakfast."

He ignored the voice at the door as he scanned the bill for a third time. "Yeah, I'll meet you down there," he called out to the blonde.

One more pound at the door let him know that she was not taking that as an answer. He rolled his eyes and unlocked the door to his hotel room. "Jesus," she said with a laugh as she took in his appearance. He was shirtless as he rested against the door frame. "I thought Alvez said you stayed back here last night."

His eye brow rose in his best friend's direction. "I did," he confirmed. He braced himself; JJ would never pass up an opportunity to get the details directly from the source.

"Please tell me you did not follow her around the hotel," she warned in a harsh whisper. Derek smirked at her motherly instinct. His smirk slowly turned in to a sheepish grin, causing the blonde to shake her head. "Why, Derek?"

He sighed; there was no getting out of this conversation now, and it was better to have without the rest of the team getting involved. "I'm the innocent party here," he began. JJ placed a hand to her hip and she gave him a pointed look. He raised his hands in mock defense. "I was down at the bar and she came down after me."

"Sure," JJ answered. She did not believe a word he said. She could see how he looked at her last night. She only knew some of their sordid history, but the chemistry between the two was palpable in the ballroom. "I saw her follow you out of the hall."

Derek narrowed his eyes in her direction. "You were on the dance floor," he argued. Derek scoffed. "What – are you keeping tabs on me now?"

She shook her head before tucking a long strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Don't flatter yourself," she said with a laugh. He was her best friend, but he was still a pain in the ass as far as Jennifer Jareau was concerned. "I noticed you stepped away from the table. I figured you were off for another round – until I saw her follow you. Are you stupid?"

"Depends," he answered smugly.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't start shit, Derek," the blonde warned as she waved a finger in his direction. "He works in the same building as we do."

He could not help the laugh escaping his lips. JJ was always one to get the dirt on everyone. New hires were her specialty. "Why's he in Quantico?" Derek asked softly.

JJ shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't get that far," she answered. She held her hands up when she could feel Derek's eyes on her. "I was trying to make nice with the wives," she conceded. "It's a new JTTF team, as far as I can tell."

Derek nodded. "I figured the same," he replied. When JJ lifted a brow in his direction he shrugged. "He was sittin' at the same table as Xander Evans and Collin McGrath. That could only mean one thing."

The blonde exhaled. "Oh well, it's not our concern," she urged her best friend to drop the subject. "Let the counter-terrorism teams do their thing while we do ours." He nodded as he read between the lines; stay away from the team and more importantly their wives. The JTTF teams were known for being overprotective with their wives and girlfriends. "Ten minutes and I'll meet you downstairs."

Derek rolled his eyes as he slid back in to his hotel room. He shut the door behind him; he knew JJ was off to make her rounds to anyone who did not answer their cell phones. When that woman was hungry, it meant someone better get their ass in gear to go grab a bite with her.

He opened the hotel bill once more and pulled at the business card that was stapled to the top corner. _Breanna Carmichael, Executive Manager, Piedmont Rehabilitation Center, _it read in bold letters.

Carmichael. He liked seeing her maiden name on the card. He slid the card in to his back pocket and brought his attention back to the memo section. _"Drinks on you next time. B." _

The bar tab from the night before had been paid, and he was certain of which little brunette had paid it off. She must have snuck out of the hotel room early enough to pay it off before the front desk charged it.

Two words in her note stuck out to him – _next time_. He smiled at he read it once more. He had been worried that after their talk, she would keep her distance from him. But it seemed that she had other things in mind.

-xx-

"Did you down a carafe of coffee on your way in here?" JJ asked with a smirk crossing her lips. The same man she had spoken to over ten minutes before was walking with a pep in his step as he stepped off of the elevator.

He shook his head. "Nah," he answered with a smirk of his own. "I just got a good message this morning."

JJ rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm not going to tell you what to do," she said as she stood from her seat on the bench.

"Good," he answered as he lifted his coffee cup to his lips to take a sip. Hotel room coffee always sucked, but the morning was starting to shape up after all. Derek threw an arm around JJ's shoulder as the two started towards the hotel restaurant. His eyes lingered on the bar just next door, specifically the two seats they had occupied the night before.

"Food," JJ demanded as she dragged him by the side of his tee shirt in to the restaurant. She smiled politely at the hostess before pointing to the tables where their team was already seated.

Derek tossed his coffee cup in to a trash barrel on his way by. JJ must have gotten downstairs early to reserve two tables with a view of the front lot. "Morning," Emily offered from her seat next to the vacant one Derek placed his hand on the back of. "How do you not look like you got run over by a MAC truck?"

He smirked as he took in his unit chief's appearance. Her dark brown locks were pulled away from her face in an un-Emily like ponytail. He knew they all enjoyed being together but not having to be dressed up for work or social events. Except the kid – he was always dressed professionally. One of his mannerisms Morgan had realized years before.

"You were hell bent on getting through that bottle of Captain last night," Derek teased Emily. Social events like the annual Gala were not her cup of tea, and the team knew it. She was quick to dash downstairs for a drink after the event was over – evening gown and all. "No wonder you look like hell."

The wink he sent in her direction let her know he was joking. She jokingly flipped him off before standing from her seat and heading back towards the breakfast buffet. "Hey handsome," he heard from behind.

In all of her multi-colored glory, Penelope strode away from the buffet line and made her way towards their tables. "Hey yourself, baby girl," he shot back. The wine had done her in the night before, and he could tell she was well rested after a good night's sleep.

"I know that twinkle in your eye, Derek Morgan," she warned as she slid in to the seat next to him. Penelope placed her plate on the table in front of her and swatted at Derek's hand when he reached for a slice of bacon. She lifted a brow in his direction, only to receive a charming smile in return. "What's her name, and where did you meet her?"

Derek fought the smirk tingling at his lips. He was going to take JJ's advice and keep his mouth shut about it. That was what the blonde meant, right? "Classified," he said with a laugh. Penelope folded her arms in front of her but kept her eyes on Derek.

"Bull," she said with a straight face. She was trying her best to not crack under his intense gaze. "Give me details," she urged. "I need details. I can't breathe without details." She took a bite from her plate before returning her eyes to the man next to her.

Derek shook his head. "No details to give, PG," he replied softly. He smiled as the waitress made her way around their table to fill the coffee cups. Penelope's watch did not falter. "I swear. You'll be the first to know," he said as he placed a hand to her arm.

"I better," she replied before thanking the waitress for the coffee. He watched as the bubbly blonde went to work concocting her perfect cup of coffee. A dash of milk and a sugar was plenty for him, but it was always fun to watch Penelope at work.

He tuned out the conversations about how they were returning to work the next morning. That was his main issue with the Gala – he gave up an entire weekend for bureaucratic bullshit. Weekends off of the road were his time.

Derek glanced up from his cup of joe and caught a glimpse of Breezy walking through the front foyer of the hotel. She struggled with her duffle bag on one shoulder and a garment bag lifted in the air to keep it from touching the floor.

He took a sip as he watched to see if any one was following her through the hallway. Derek excused himself from the table when he saw she was alone. "Derek," JJ warned quietly as he pushed his seat back.

She assumed most people at the table expected him to head off towards the buffet, but she was not the least bit surprised when he started out of the restaurant. The blonde found herself immersed in her cup of coffee when Penelope glanced back and forth between Derek's retreating form and the only person at the table who knew where he was going.

Derek stepped through the bar they spent time in the night before and cleared his throat a little louder than usual. Breezy glanced over her shoulder and groaned as her motion caused the garment bag to hit her in the back. Derek assumed her heels were at the bottom of the bag.

Her lips parted as she saw him starting out around the partitioned wall of the bar. She tilted her head just enough towards the front desk and shook her head. Derek slowly removed his eyes from the brunette and took in the form of her fiancé as he stood at the front desk waiting for her.

Eddie had been in deep conversation with the clerk behind the desk. Her fiance's actions did not go unnoticed by Derek as the blonde behind the desk twirled the ends of her hair as she batted her eyelashes in his direction. Derek gripped the side of the wall to stop himself from walking out in to the clear.

Breezy offered a tight lipped smile, but Derek caught the hand gesture she sent him. She made a mock phone in her hand; he nodded. "Tomorrow," she lipped across the hallway to him. He nodded once more. Derek threw himself down in one of the oversized chairs in the bar and brought out his cell phone.

He would casually look up towards the front desk. Eddie had finally taken the garment bag from Bree after watching her struggle to keep it upright. The roll of his eyes caused Derek to purse his lips together; he should have offered to take it from her the second he left their hotel room.

Derek could tell the smile on Breezy's face was forced. Her genuine smile was always just a little crooked, but perfect. He smirked as a text message came across his screen. "Casanova, breakfast is over here."

JJ was always looking out for him. She probably saw that Bree's fiancé was in the lobby before he did, but she let him go after Breezy anyway. She could talk him out of a lot of things, but he was not sure she could talk him out of this.

-xx-

Author's Note: Are you guys liking this one? Should I stick with Take Two? Drop some love and let me know either way. xo


	7. Chapter 7

**Back to You**

**Chapter 7**

-xx-

Bree tapped her nails across the bottom of her keyboard. Her eyes were straining from working on her computer, but the sooner she was done with all of this work, the sooner she could start her weekend.

Eddie had flown out for Iraq the night before leaving her alone at home for the next week. She had groaned when her cell phone lit up earlier in the day with messages in the group text. _The Wives Club _was planning a night out tonight; it was a tradition when their spouses were sent overseas.

She often joked that she did not belong in their little club. She and Eddie were not officially married yet. Bree found herself dodging questions about their relationship all the time. They had been engaged for almost four years.

For how stunning the diamond adorning her left hand was, their proposal story was quite the opposite. They had been in the midst of moving from Minnesota to Virginia when he tossed the black velvet ring box to her across the bare kitchen.

"_I want you to be my wife,"_ he had said. The words were lost on her as she opened the box to reveal the diamond that currently sat on her finger. The size caused her to gasp, so much so that she ignored his piss poor attempt at a proposal.

He never got down on one knee or professed his love for her. No candles, no flowers – zero romance. Just a decision that he wanted her to marry him – his decision.

Nothing like the proclamation Derek laid on her before leaving for Quantico ten years earlier. It was nothing like Derek's promise to come back for her so they could have their happily ever after.

She was finishing up school and he was throwing himself in to this new career. He had to be able to give it his all, and the offer was not going to wait for her to graduate first.

The brunette sighed once more as she ran her fingers over the keyboard in front of her. It was the last of the e-mails she needed to send out before leaving for the weekend. They were a half an hour away from Walter Reed and Piedmont was usually the first step after leaving the hospital.

If her employees in the main office had a hard time with veteran's affairs, she was the next step up. Often times, they never said no to Bree. After three years, she knew the system inside and out.

She glanced one last time at her cell phone as it sat on the charger. The wives chat was going crazy, per usual on a Friday afternoon. There were six other women in the group chat, and of them only two worked. The other four were homemakers and stay at home moms.

Carrie Evans was one of the closest to her in their tight group. She grew up in Virginia and met her husband, Alexander – 'Xander' for short, almost ten years before when he transferred to the Quantico office.

Abigail Lehman was her best friend, though. She also never considered herself a 'wife' in the club, even after eight years with her boyfriend, Tim. Abby was definitely the sister she always wanted. They often went for nail appointments and coffee dates together and it was Abby who finally convinced Eddie that they should go on a double date.

The rest of the group was up in the air. It all depended on their attitudes that day, and she would admit most of the time they were all extremely stuck up. Breezy kept to herself when they went out. She would perform some karaoke with Abby and Carrie at their regular bar, but Bree and Abby would usually get out of there as soon as possible.

Bree ran a hand through her curls and sighed. Her natural curls were on display today; it was easier when Eddie was home to keep her hair straightened or in a bun. He would pick on her curls, and laughed out loud when she showed off pictures from high school and college. She always kept her bangs straightened, but her curls usually hung to her shoulders.

He had talked her in to growing her hair out, and she had gone a few times to get it relaxed. She loved the look of her hair straightened, but hated putting in the effort at home.

She hit send on the final e-mail she had, a report to send to her boss, and closed out the screen on her computer. It was nearing five o'clock and she could hear her first cocktail calling her name. That was as soon as she got home to change out of her heels and dress pants.

Just as she turned off her computer for the weekend, her desk phone came to life. She shook her head as she read the caller ID. It was a private number. She always wanted to send them to voicemail, and with it being so late, she knew she could get away with it, but the nagging in the back of her head told her to answer the phone.

"Breanna Carmichael," she answered as she crossed her leg over her knee under her desk. She pushed her office chair away from her desk to not get cramped under the wood.

She pursed her lips as the response on the other end was not immediate. Bree glanced at the caller ID and noticed the call was still connected. "Hey Breezy," came the voice on the other line.

Her lips suddenly curled in to a smile. "Hi," she sighed softly. She grinned at her own reflection from her computer screen as it faded to black. "You sure waited long enough to call," she chastised.

"I just got back from a case," he replied. She could hear his truck start up in the background of the call, but nothing further. The music was turned down; if she had to guess, he was sitting in the parking lot of the Quantico office. "I've been out of the state since Monday morning."

She pursed her lips as to restrain the sigh in her throat. "I'll let that slide," she said quietly. The laugh that came through the other end of the caused her to tighten her lips. She was not going to let this man have that kind of control over her from the phone. "How was it?"

"The case?" he asked. She rolled her eyes; he sighed, knowing that was what she was talking about. "Same old, same old," he replied. Bree reached for her purse on the ground underneath her desk. She pulled it out to place in front of her on the desk. "I could really use a night out after that mess, though."

It was as if he knew her plans for the night. "Is that so?" The 'mhmm' she heard on the other end caused her to shake her head. "I'm sure your buddy from work would be willing to hook you up."

Derek's scoff on the other end was unexpected. "Watching me now?" he asked jokingly. "Should I be worried?" Her eyes fell to her manicure to escape the butterflies in her belly as his voice became husky.

"About catching something from one of those random hook-ups? Probably," she shot back. Hazel eyes turned up to her door as she heard a knock on the other side. "Come in," she called out as she slid the receiver away from her lips. She smiled at the young woman who opened it. "Have a great weekend, Meg," she offered with a wave.

The young blonde nodded. "Thanks Bree. You too," she said before slipping back out of the room and closing the door behind her.

"Sorry," she muttered.

She listened as Derek made himself comfortable behind the wheel of his truck. He had transferred the call to the speakers in his truck before backing out of his parking space. "Not a problem," he said. His voice strained as she assumed he was looking through the back window. "Must be tough being Miss Executive Manager."

Bree reached in her purse to grab her car keys. "It pays the bills," she answered. "And it feels good to give back. I work almost strictly with the VA and most of our patients come in from Walter Reed."

"You're pretty amazing, Breezy," he complimented.

She could feel the blush rise at his words. It did not take much from Derek to turn her insides to mush, even after fourteen years. "I'm not out saving the world from serial killers," she responded.

The silence over the phone line was deafening. She watched her own expression falter at the mention. "Someone's been doing their homework," he teased.

The brunette shook her head as her hazel eyes rolled in response. "I know people," she quipped, hoping that the tone of her voice did not give away her real answer. She knew he was in the BAU. It didn't take a genius to put the clues together; he was at the same table as David Rossi. He was accredited for his work with BAU.

"I'm sure you do," he responded. Bree licked her lips as she ran her fingers over the keys in her hand. She was too far from the parking lot to warm up her SUV with the automatic starter.

She smirked; she was not the most popular when she got to school, but having a boyfriend on the football team was a big step. She had been quick to make friends with the other girlfriends of the football players, but never let her social status get in the way of excelling in her classes.

"What are you up to tonight?" he asked suddenly.

Bree watched as her expression changed in the reflection of her computer screen. She knew she could not invite him out with the Wives Club tonight, because most of them would know Derek from the Gala. Or the office – she never stopped to think that they'd actually know him, either.

Her brain stopped working the second she tried to think of something other than the name of the bar they were spending the night at. It had been five whole days since she had seen him last and it made it seem like fourteen years did not exist.

She had left him in charge; he had her phone number, not the other way around. But in the five days that he did not call her, she made herself realize that it may not be a good idea to reach out again. She was set to marry Eddie – when, they did not know – but it was what was going to happen. Right?

"Breezy?" he asked softly, breaking her from her train of thought. Her soft squeal on the other end of the line caused him to chuckle. "Did I ask the wrong question?"

She shook her head; he wasn't there, so he wouldn't see the action. "Um," she stuttered, trying her best to think of an answer. "There's a bar off of Old Triangle Road in Dumfries."

Derek scoffed. "There's about ten bars off of Old Triangle," he shot back.

Bree shrugged her shoulder so only she could see as she adjusted her grip on the office phone. "So figure it out," she said with a laugh. "You are a profiler, aren't you?"

"That's not even fair, Breezy," he said, a whine taking over his voice.

She rolled her eyes as a smile attempted to cross her lips. The odds of him being able to find her were definitely in her favor. But the devil sitting on her shoulder made her realize she wanted him to be able to find her. "I have faith in you," she replied. "Or are you going to let this challenge go?"

She swore she could feel the shift in the conversation at those words. They were both transported back to their college days.

"_I dare you to kiss me," the brunette said as she adjusted her hold of the red Solo cup in her hand. Her hazel eyes twinkled in the sparse lighting of the backyard. She hated fraternity parties, but promised Derek she would accompany him to one if his football team managed a victory against Illinois. _

_The team had lost their last four match-ups against the Fighting Illini, so the odds were stacked against them. It was as if Derek lifted the team on his shoulders as he knew what lay ahead for him. Breanna Carmichael on his arm for the Alpha Epsilon Pi bash was better than beating their rival. _

"_Are you sure you want that?" he asked as he placed his cup on the table next to them. He could see her eyes start to flicker as he wrapped an arm around her petite waist. "One kiss and you'll never be the same." _

_Her lips parted just enough at his taunt, but her eyes never left his. "I dare you," she repeated. _

"You know I'll never pass up a challenge from you," he muttered in to the phone. The husk was back in his voice; Breezy tightened her legs at the potential of what his voice was capable of. Time did not diminish the sex appeal that man dripped. "I'll find you."

"I hope you do," she replied before quickly hanging up the phone. Her face flushed with embarrassment as she realized she had the conversation on her work phone. It was not traced, so there was nothing to be worried about. Except for how she was going to untangle herself from her seat and get out to her SUV the quickest way possible, while running in to the least amount of people.

-xx-


	8. Chapter 8

**Back to You**

**Chapter 8**

-xx-

Derek rubbed his hands together as he stepped in to the third bar. In all honesty, Breezy never told him what time to expect her in the area. He had spent more time checking the busy street to see if he saw the brunette step out of an Uber or taxi. She was always the first to decide to not drive because she had too much to drink.

He felt like his ears were going to start bleeding momentarily at the karaoke taking place in the corner of the building._ Some people should not attempt to sing_, he thought to himself as he slid up to the bar. There was one open seat in the corner of the bar; it had an obstructed view of the television, but his eyes were scanning the floor of the bar.

After placing his order with one of the two bartenders behind the bar, he slid on to the seat and kept glancing around the open area. It was definitely the busiest of the three bars he had stepped in to so far tonight.

It was not until he heard a table of women carry the chorus of the song the poor guy at the karaoke stand was butchering that he saw her. Everyone knew the chorus to "Don't Stop Believin'", except for the guy at the microphone it had seemed.

He watched as the seven women became animated; arms flew in the air and heads tilted back as they sang along to the classic. The cackles that overtook the table as one of them spilled a bit of their drink was unlike anything Derek had seen Breezy put up with.

He smirked as she rolled her eyes, until the tapping of the bartender's fingernails caught his attention. He handed over his credit card without a second thought; he had found her, finally, so it was time to set up a bar tab. After all, it was his turn to pay.

"C'mon ABC – let's give this crowd a show," the host of the karaoke night said in to the microphone after the butchery of Journey's hit song ended. "Save us, please," he begged quietly. He was not as far away from the microphone as he thought he was. Cheers from the crowd agreed with his statement.

He sat back on his bar stool; the amusement on his face was clear as Breezy was pulled towards the make shift stage by two friends. He recognized Carrie from their night at the bar. It made him wonder who 'A' was.

Breezy. _His Breezy_, he thought as he watched her center herself between the two other women. College Breezy would have never stepped out of the house in jeans that tight, but he was mighty happy that grown-up Breezy did.

It may have been the beginning of December, but there she was, in a crowded bar in skin tight jeans, heeled boots and a tank top that did not leave much to imagination. Her curls hung loosely down her back and he drawn to the red that accented her lips. It was a bold color, but it fit her bold persona from earlier in the day.

Her eyes scanned over the floor in front of them; it was packed so it was tough to find anyone in the crowd. Derek thought for a minute that he may have been spotted from his position in the corner of the bar, but sighed when she turned to talk with the mysterious 'A' next to her.

They nodded to the karaoke host as the first strains of the song came on. They barely had to look at the screen in front of them; it was obvious this was one of their favorite songs.

"_If you're gonna love somebody  
Yeah, you better love somebody  
Who ruins your lipstick, not your mascara"_

Derek smirked. He did not chalk her up to being a country fan, but it was obvious she was as she took over after the first round of the chorus. She always loved to sing, but never tried to pursue that career path. It was a hobby and nothing else.

He remembered back to being the beaming boyfriend on the sidelines before she rocked the national anthem for home games at Northwestern. She would scurry from the field and within moments have a jersey thrown over her jacket to match her boyfriends.

"_It's so good when it's real," _she sang. Her eyes glanced around the room once more, but her stage persona stayed in tact even after not being able to find Derek in the crowd.

He tore his eyes away from her long enough to see the women at her table dancing, as well as others throughout the bar. It was clear – they were a local favorite act. He was not sure about "The ABCs" as much as the Breezy show, but the other two were pulling the harmonies well.

He may have been biased, but she was the star of the show. She was right in the middle, where she belonged, and loved the acknowledgement from the crowd as they finished up their song.

Even as the next performer took the stage, _"if you're gonna love somebody," _kept playing over and over in his head. Derek planned to bide his time; she was with her friends, as he expected, and he knew at least one of them was married in to the JTTF team. He never spotted a man at their table though, and figured that was probably why Breezy thought it would be safe to invite him out.

Invite him out – yeah, she gave him a run for his money trying to find her tonight. An invite would have had a time and a place, and he sure as hell would not be stuck in the corner of a bar watching her from afar.

"_Who ruins your lipstick." _The words danced around in his head. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and fired up a Google search with those lyrics. It was like he needed to know who performed it.

He chuckled; Runaway June was an all girl trio who made the song popular. Of course Breezy would enlist two girlfriends to do the song with her.

As a second beer was placed down in front of his half empty one, he lifted a brow towards the bartender. She flashed a smile before gesturing to the woman at the uprights. Derek smirked as Breezy took her drink and started to push through the crowd around the bar to make it to him. "I thought it was my turn," he said with a laugh.

"It's on your tab," she said as she got closer to his ear. It was definitely a little crowded in the bar and it made it hard to hear each other. Derek turned his seat just enough to be face to face with the brunette. How the hell did he let this beautiful woman slip out of his life?

"Good," he answered softly. The smile that took over her features was enough to make him down the rest the beer in his hand. He switched out the empty for the new full one. "Here," he said as he started to stand from his seat. "You sit."

She shook her head and placed a hand to his chest. "If I'm gone too long, they'll send the search party," she replied with a laugh. Derek noticed she was not too eager to remove her hand from its landing spot in the center of his muscular chest.

He sat up taller in his seat; something about her action made him want to be as close to her as possible. Her eyes traveled to her hand's location. He could see it in her eyes that she was unsure of what to do. He nodded to let her know it was okay.

Bree took a sip from her drink and offered him a smile. "You were great up there," he complimented, trying his best to break the awkward tension between the two.

She pulled her hand back and slid it in to her back pocket. "Thanks," she replied. She reached across Derek to place her glass on the bar top. The guy next to him was not quick to move out of her way, but was quick to watch her body as she stood back up. "The girls all like coming here and Jason runs a great karaoke night."

He noticed how she was trying her best to ignore the man behind her. He would occasionally move his seat to get her off balance. Derek placed a hand to her hip to help keep her steady. "Got a problem, bud?" Derek asked as he motioned for Breezy to step to her left just a bit to get further away from man occupying the seat next to him.

"Nope," he answered gruffly. He kept his shoulder turned away from Derek. "No problem here."

"Good," Derek replied firmly. "Then cut the shit." In trying to stop the guy from knocking Breezy over, he did not notice that she placed her hand on top of his.

His eyes traveled up to her face; her expression was tough to read, even for a profiler. The hesitation in her face and the way she flattened her red lips together made him realize this may not be the best idea.

She was engaged to another man, and that was obvious from the size of the diamond on her left hand. God, what he would do to take that damn thing off and toss it in the ocean. Or even the river a few streets over.

Her eyes never once wavered under his watch. She swallowed a growing lump in her throat before abruptly removing her hand from on top of his. Bree grabbed her drink from the bar top and slid it in to her left hand.

She slid her fingers around the hand that was still on her hip. Her lips slowly parted as she could feel his fingers tighten around hers. "Don't leave," she whispered sharply in his direction.

"Where are you going?" he asked softly. The beer in his hand was getting warm by the heat between the two of them.

She offered a simple smile before dropping his hand. "The _Club_," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I told you. They'll go crazy if I'm not back soon."

"Let me know when you're ready to get out of here," he offered with a wink before she turned to walk back towards her friends. Thankful for the man next to him turning away from him to talk to the guy on his right side, and the wall on his left, Derek took a second to adjust his jeans.

He watched until she made it back to her friends. He was not sure what came over him when it came to the guy sitting next to him, but he was not beneath knocking a guy out for Breezy. It would not be the first time, either.

One way or another, she would realize that she was still _his _Breezy. Or so he hoped.

-xx-


	9. Chapter 9

**Back to You**

**Chapter 9**

-xx-

Derek remained in his spot at the corner of the bar, only taking a few breaks to hit the bathroom. He felt like a stalker as he kept checking to make sure Breezy was okay with her friends.

She had stopped over once more and then he sat through two more performances by her and the 'ABC'. He joked to himself that he needed to find out more of who this Runaway June was. All three songs they sang were by the trio; it was the last one that caught his ear the most.

"Wild West" it read on Google. He read over the lyrics as he replayed her performance in his mind. She knew he was watching her, and she made sure to let him know she was watching him. "_Well now's your chance to save the girl. Better take it 'fore it's gone."_

He had to shake his head to clear his thoughts. She wasn't singing that song for him; she was singing it because her friends liked the song too. He was just an added bonus in the bar that night.

He knew he had to stop reading between the lines. Nothing good ever came from reading between the forbidden lines, and right now Breezy was off limits. She was engaged to another man, and as much as it ate him up inside, maybe it was for the best.

He had to cut it all off now; prolonging any thing with her would only hurt them both. If he thought he hurt fourteen years ago when he left Chicago for the first time, it was nothing compared to what was waiting for them.

When Derek returned to Chicago and found out she had moved out of the apartment they got together, he figured it would be for the best. She would move on to find someone better than him. It was just a college love story, anyways. It didn't mean they were always going to be together.

So why did he feel so drawn to her, even as she sat across from him in the bar?

The crowd had started to die down after karaoke night was over. He could see her without a crowd of people between them, but he tried to stay discreet. She should not have to deal with any of their questions if they noticed him watching her.

Derek finished off the bottle in his hand and slid the empty next to the empty whiskey glass at the edge of the bar. He had cashed out his tab a few minutes before and tossed some bills on the bar to cover a tip.

He reached for his jacket on the back of his chair as he stood from the bar stool. Without another glance in the direction of the few girls who remained at the table, Derek started out of the bar.

The sooner he was out, the sooner he could forget about wasting his night watching her. And when he thought about it that way, it seemed creepy and definitely stalkerish. She was out having fun with her friends; he sat in the corner all night, waiting for the few minutes she would spare when she came to get a drink.

Derek pushed the door open and took a deep breath as the cold air hit his face. He surveyed the street; it was quieter than when he arrived a few hours before. Stopping in different bars on the way to The Half-Keg made it difficult for him to remember which lot around here his truck was parked in.

"Where are you going?"

He turned to the voice that followed him out of the bar. He turned just as Breezy was slipping her leather jacket over her shoulders. "Breezy," he started before sighing. Her brow lifted as she waited for him to continue. "I can't do this, B."

She sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest. It was not the heaviest of jackets, but it seemed to be enough when she left the house that evening. The temps had dropped since then and made her realize her entire ensemble was not made for the current weather. "Do what?"

"I can't wait around for you," he said sharply. "For you to spend more than five minutes with me at a bar." Derek slipped a hand in to the pocket of his jeans and fished out his truck keys. "It's not fair to either of us."

Bree tapped her heel against the cement and nodded. She pulled her hair in to a ponytail at the middle of her head. "I don't know what to do, Derek."

Her face fell at the admission. Both eyes darted towards the ground as her shoulders slumped. "You're engaged," he said out loud, letting the words wash over the two of them.

She nodded. "Yeah," she muttered; she could not look up at him. Her fingers mindlessly played with the ring on her right hand. She cringed when she felt Derek look in the direction of her hand.

"Is that –" He had to cut off his own words as his eyes focused in on the simple band on Breezy's right hand ring finger.

She nodded again as a twinge of a smile flickered in the corner of her lips. "The ring you gave me in school," she finished his thought. "Yeah," she mumbled. Her fingers worked quickly to slide it off of her finger. She held the crystal band between her pointer and thumb and held it out to him. "You should have it."

Derek shook his head. "It's yours," he replied. Her arm faltered from being stretched out; she tucked her hand back to her chest and clutched the ring in her hand before slipping it back on her finger. Derek had given it to her just before he left for Virginia. "Why did you wear it tonight?"

Her shoulders shrugged. "It's been sitting in my jewelry box for ten years," she admitted. The puff of air that came out of her lips sounded frail. "I don't know, honestly," she answered in response to his question.

"It's pretty different than what's on your other hand," he said softly.

Bree licked her lips; he smirked as he noticed the lipstick barely moved. It was so unlike his Breezy to wear makeup, let alone a bright shade of lipstick. Not _my _Breezy, he reminded himself.

"It's very different," she agreed. Derek groaned softly as she compared the two. A simple smile took over her lips as she found herself immersed in his deep gaze. "It's probably the best ring I've ever worn."

Derek scoffed. "I don't remember you being so shallow and worried about price tags." He knew the stone was worth at least a few months pay for him. He could only imagine how Eddie was able to afford it; they worked for the same office.

She rolled her eyes. "I was talking about this one," she said as she lifted her right ring finger. He smirked; from a distance it may look like she was flipping him off.

"That one is nothing compared to –"

"Exactly," Bree cut him off as she knew he was about to compare the two rings. She shook her head and tried to piece together her words to not make herself sound like such a tool. Every time the words came to her lips, she pursed them together because they sounded terrible. Weak. "It doesn't matter to me what you spent on it, Derek."

He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "It's obvious that I can't compete with this guy."

"He's been competing with you since the day I met him." Her admission caused her to force her pointer finger over her lips. She cast one last glance over her shoulder; no one had come to check on her. She took a few steps towards Derek; her heels echoed off of the cold cement. "Let's go for a walk?"

He nodded; he knew he should have said goodnight, but he could not say no to Breezy. A comforting silence overtook them as they started down the sidewalk. She tried her best not to flinch when he placed his hand to the small of her back to keep her away from an obnoxious group of people in front of another bar.

"What did you mean?" he asked softly a few minutes later. Bree was making it obvious that they were going to pass all of the bars on the row. Her hazel eyes turned up to him, but her legs kept moving. "He's been competing with me?"

Breezy stopped when they reached the small park at the end of the street. For how busy the rest of the street was with the several bars in the area, the park was almost silent. She loved to stop by on her way home; she would usually have her Uber pick her up here.

She took a seat on the first bench and shrugged her shoulders. "Every man I met after you had to compete, Derek," she admitted. She leaned forward to place her elbows on her thighs as she turned her eyes up to the man in front of her.

"So how did he win out?"

She pursed her lips together. "I was vulnerable." It was a night for admissions, she decided. Damn the Tito's; it was like a truth serum. "I had just moved to Minnesota, and I was really lonely."

"And this schmuck shows up like a knight in shining armor," Derek said with a laugh.

Breezy shook her head causing her curls to whip behind her. "Hardly," she said with a scoff. "I couldn't stand him when I met him."

Derek took a seat next to her on the wooden bench and sighed. He was fighting the smile that tingled his face. "That doesn't sound like the Breezy I knew."

Her shoulders shrugged as a gust of wind brushed through the park. She tried her best to pull her jacket around her as tight as possible. "I've learned over the past few years," she turned to Derek and laughed. "I really don't like a lot of people." Her hand thrust in the direction of the bar they just left. "I don't like half of them," she said, regarding the 'friends' she was with.

It was a change in the subject, but Derek knew to hang on for the ride. Breezy was known to have conversations within conversations. "And why's that?"

"Have you met any of them?" she asked. Her eyes widened as another laugh escaped her lips. "They're terrible!" Bree sighed. "Well, most of them," she added.

"Let me guess," Derek started as he leaned back on the bench. His arm rested across the top; Breezy was mere inches from it and it took everything in her power to stay slumped forward. "Wives of your fiancé's team?"

Her eyes narrowed just slightly as she turned to look at him. "Did you profile that?" The question was meant more as a joke, but when she pursed her lips, he knew she wanted an answer.

Derek shook his head. "I recognized most of them from the Gala," he admitted. Bree rolled her eyes. "And you only hang out with them because you don't want any unnecessary drama for him."

Bree nodded and let out a deep breath. "I guess," she answered softly. "They're the only people I know around here." She sat up and pushed off of her thighs. Her back was particularly close to Derek's arm and she watched him purse his lips next to her. "I have friends from work, but no one wants to hang out with their boss."

"I hang out with my boss all the time," Derek chided, causing a smile to cross Bree's lips. Those bright red lips that he could not tear his eyes away from. "And you can always hang out with me."

The offer hung in the air between them. Breezy pushed all the way back on the bench and closed her eyes as she felt Derek's hand close on her shoulder. "You and I both know that'll never work."

"What won't work?" he asked cautiously. She had still not opened her eyes, but the smile on her lips was enough of a response to his touch.

She slowly turned her head in his direction and he lost himself in the look in her eyes once she opened them. "Because I can't just be friends with you." The words slipped out of her mouth but she never once moved away from his gaze.

Derek slowly leaned towards the brunette; he knew it was wrong. Hell, they both knew it was wrong. But as he watched Breezy lick her lips before parting them just enough, he knew he had to take the shot.

The second his lips touched hers, Derek Morgan knew he was a goner all over again. The sweet taste of her mouth was a taste he had gone far too long without. It felt like home; a home he had desperately been missing.

And as quickly as it happened, it was over. Breezy pushed herself to her feet, successfully dropping Derek's hand from its spot on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," she muttered. Her arms wrapped around her body as she started away from the bench.

"Breezy," Derek called out behind her. She had already pulled her cell phone from her back pocket. "Let me give you a ride home."

She shook her head. When she turned back to him, her eyes brimmed with tears. "I'm good," she muttered before turning her attention back to the screen in front of her. She took a few steps towards the edge of the park. "Thanks, though."

The sniffle that came from the brunette forced Derek in to a standing position. He slowly started towards the brunette; he knew she needed her distance, but he was not about to let her walk back towards the busy bar scene. "I shouldn't have –"

His words dropped as she glanced over her shoulder at him. "It was fourteen years too late," she muttered. Her pursed lips were the only thing he could focus on. "But I'm glad you did."

They were the last words she spoke to him before she stepped in to the car that pulled up in front of her. He watched as she confirmed the driver and the vehicle with the app on her cell phone.

She offered one last – albeit sad – smile in his direction before stepping in to the awaiting vehicle.

-xx-


	10. Chapter 10

**Back to You**

**Chapter 10**

-xx-

Derek sighed as he looked down at his cell phone. It sucked knowing he had her office number, but she had no way of getting in touch with him. He should have made sure she had his cell number before she walked away from him three nights ago.

He also should have never kissed her. _What a fucking idiot_, he thought to himself. Just an hour before that, he had decided that she was off limits. But she was so close, and between the two of them, they drank quite a bit at the Half-Keg.

He couldn't blame it on the alcohol. It was his own stupid actions that put him in this position.

It was why he was always so willing to go to the bar or club with Alvez; he wanted to find someone who compared to Breezy, but no one ever held a candle to her. He met her at nineteen years old, and they spent three and a half wonderful years together.

He was a grown man. He should be able to shake off a relationship from college. But Breezy was always in the back of his mind. There was something so different about her than any other woman he found on his escapades. No one filled his heart like she did. They only cared about warming their bed for the night.

His other hand held the business card she had attached to the hotel receipt. Would it be too bold to try to e-mail her at work? He was almost positive that she would deny a call from him.

One last glance at the clock across the office from him showed him that it was almost time for him to head out for the night. He crossed his fingers as he pressed on her office number in his cell phone.

Two shrill rings caused his lips to purse; there was no way she was going to answer. "Piedmont Rehabilitation, this is Megan," came from the other end of the phone.

Derek cleared his throat at the introduction on the other line. "Hi Megan," he greeted casually, trying to pour on the charm. He sat up in his plush office chair and sighed. "I'm looking for Bree. Is she available?"

The commotion on the other end of the phone made him shake his head. She was definitely not answering his calls. She was sending them to the receptionist; the woman she spoke to when he called the week before. "I'm sorry but she's tied up at the moment. Can I take a message?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "Just leave her my number, please," he said softly before reciting the numbers to his company cell phone.

"And may I have your name for the note, sir?" He smirked; 'sir', he was no sir. Especially after Friday night.

Derek tapped his fingers along his chair. "She'll know who it is," he answered before disconnecting the call. He only hoped that now she had his number and would be willing to reach out.

-xx-

"Bree, who was that?" Breezy tried to ignore the question from the blonde sitting in front of her. She peeked over her shoulder before reaching down to grab the yellow sticky note from Megan's desk. "Uh uh," she answered as she snagged the paper just before her boss could get it. "Details, first."

Bree shook her head. She fixed a hand to her hip and stuck her other hand out. "Give me the note, Meg," she said in a warning tone. "Please," she added hastily.

Megan shook her head causing blonde and purple locks to splash around her head. "Not a chance." She stood from her seat and grinned as she held the piece of paper behind her back. "I need to know the goods, first."

"There are no 'goods'," Breezy replied gently. She flicked her wrist once more so Megan would hand the slip over. "I just need that number." She tried to keep the urgency out of her mind.

"Nope," she answered. She leaned back against the file cabinet at the edge of the room and grinned. "Not until you tell me who that was." Megan narrowed her eyes in Bree's direction as she tucked the slip of paper behind her. "He called you Bree – no one calls and asks for Bree."

Bree rolled her eyes. She usually loved how well Megan could read people, but she was not a fan of being on the opposite side of that judging. "A friend from college," she admitted. Her shoulders dropped as she gave away the information, hoping the action was enough for Megan to give up the note.

Instead, the receptionist lifted a perfectly manicured brow in her direction. "You wouldn't care this much about a friend from college," she used her available hand to make air quotes. "He sounded sexy over the phone."

Her boss took one daring step across Megan's small office space. It was more of a walk way in to Bree's office, but she wanted the blonde to have her own space. She had filled it with photos of friends and family all along the wall next to her desk, as well as knick knacks around her desk. "Megan," she warned once more, her tone getting deeper the more she waited.

"Breanna," she shot back, unmoved. "Spill it," she said as she slid the piece of paper out from behind her back. Bree's hazel eyes darted towards the sticky note as Megan dangled it in front of her. "Or this goes in to the shredder."

She tried to remain calm at the threat, but she knew her employee meant business. They had worked together for three years; Megan was the first hire Bree made when she started a Piedmont. "An ex-boyfriend from college."

"_The _ex-boyfriend from college?" The blonde's voice raised an octave at the realization. Bree could not figure out what was more annoying; the fact that she told her receptionist about Derek, or the way Meg's face lit up as she pieced the puzzle together. "'She'll know who it is'," she repeated from the call in a sing-song tone.

"Shut up," Bree warned, and then paused. The outburst was uncharacteristic of her, but she was in no mood to have her emotions played with. "Sorry," she mumbled. Megan only nodded. "You can't tell anyone."

Megan nodded once more and then lifted three fingers in to the air. "On my honor," she said with a laugh, reciting part of the Girl Scout pledge. Bree rolled her eyes and took the offered piece of paper from the blonde. "But you will tell me the details."

The brunette shook her head as she started back in to her office. "I told you," she said as she turned around her desk. "There are no details."

"Bull," Megan argued.

A lifted brow above Bree's hazel eyes stopped the blonde in the doorway. She leaned around her desk to make sure the door between Megan's office and the rest of the building was closed. "I ran in to him at the Gala," she admitted quietly.

The admission caused Megan's face to split in to a giant smile. "Really?" she asked as she stepped in to the room. She took a seat in the oversized chair in front of Bree's desk.

"Yes, really," Bree answered before depositing herself in her own seat. "It was so weird." She shrugged her shoulders before sliding the phone number under the keyboard on her desk. "I didn't think he'd still be in Virginia. Eddie gets moved around every few years."

Megan's shoulders lifted and dropped. "I'm no help there, Bree," she said softly. "But what happened? You obviously talked to him."

She nodded. "We spent like three hours at the hotel bar that night."

Megan's eyes doubled in size at the admission. "Where was King Douche-bag?"

Bree could only laugh at the nickname Megan had given Eddie. It was clear she was not a fan of her fiancé. "Sleeping upstairs," the words came out just above a whisper. Bree was quick to cover her ears from the squeal Meg elicited. "God, that makes me sound terrible."

"I don't think so," Megan replied. "The Blackhawks were playing on Saturday right?" Bree nodded. "And we all know you're a little mental when it comes to watching Toews, so it was probably safer to watch it in a different room."

Bree had to laugh. For only getting together a few times outside of the office, Megan seemed to understand Bree pretty well. The framed photo of the team with the Stanley Cup on her wall was also a dead giveaway of her favorite team. "That was my excuse when one of the Club showed up."

The look of disgust that crossed Megan's face was hilarious to Bree. She had only met Abby, but she had heard stories of the other women. "So," she urged. "What else happened?"

"It all seems like a blur," Bree answered. "One second, it was like we were never apart, and then the next I didn't want to be anywhere near him." When she caught the glance from Megan she sighed. "He mentioned my Dad."

"Ooh," Megan whistled. "Wrong move, Tall, Dark and Handsome."

Bree smirked at the new nickname. She had never met him, but apparently Bree was good at explaining Derek Morgan. The nickname fit him perfectly. "I got up early Sunday to hit the gym and work off the half gallon of vodka I drank, and decided to pay off the bar tab. Derek had sent it to his room."

"Look at you," Megan purred, "you sneaky bitch."

The brunette could only chuckle at Megan's use of words. "And I attached my business card," she admitted before pulling her lower lip between her teeth.

"It took him until now to call?"

Bree shook her head. "No, he called last Friday." Megan sat up in her seat as she anxiously awaited the rest of the story. "Long story short, I sort of invited him to the Half-Keg."

"Long story, you say?" Megan's face read how intrigued she was in Bree's story. "That can't be it. You can't be dodging his calls just because you invited him out on Friday. Did he show?"

Bree nodded. "And he kissed me," she admitted in a voice just above a whimper. Megan's eyes grew once more at the admission. "So I haven't talked to him since Friday."

"What about Eddie?"

The brunette pursed her lips as she thought about her fiancé. She knew she loved the man, but she was questioning her relationship lately. It had started before she ran in to Derek, but bringing back the feelings she had in college only made her more confused.

She shrugged. "I don't know, Meg," she said softly. "It's really complicated."

"Well, let's un-complicate it. Eddie's out of town right now, right?" Bree nodded. "Come out with me tonight. We'll get dinner and drinks. And I think O'Reilly's is doing karaoke night."

"That's what got me in to this mess!" the brunette exclaimed, but realized she was talking to Megan's back as the blonde rushed in to her own office. "Fucking karaoke," she sighed to herself. "I'll meet you there at seven!"

The blonde nodded as she grabbed her jacket and oversized purse. "See you there!" she called back to her boss before heading out of the office. When Megan had her mind made up, it was made up. And she had decided for the two of them that they were going out.

_So much for not wanting to hang out with your boss, _Bree muttered to herself. She pursed her lips for a moment as she glanced towards her cell phone as it sat on the stand charger.

She lifted her keyboard to retrieve the small sticky note and grinned at the phone number. Quickly, she typed it in to her contacts and pulled up the messenger.

One simple 'hey' was sent, and she hoped it was enough to get his attention.

-xx-


	11. Chapter 11

**Back to You**

**Chapter 11**

-xx-

"This is a bad idea," Bree whispered softly between the two of them. Megan sat across from her at the high top table as they waited for their food. It was more bar food than a sit down meal, but she figured she could have a cheat meal every once in a while. "Really bad idea."

The blonde rolled her eyes as she perused the drink menu one more time. It had been her favorite bar in the area, but they updated the drink specials on a weekly basis. She was looking for something to catch her eye and palate. "Stop stressing about it," she answered without lifting her eyes from the menu.

Bree sighed as she took a gulp from the vodka and soda water in front of her. Her nails tapped on the table beneath them as she forced herself to not look towards the front door of the bar.

It was a horrible idea. Not only was she at a bar, with her receptionist, on a Monday night, but she had made the mistake of mentioning it to Derek. Megan's constant jokes about being the third wheel were getting on her last nerve as well.

She figured the blonde would retire for the night at a decent hour, most likely after they ate their appetizers and had a couple of drinks. Megan would never be caught behind the microphone at karaoke night, but she knew Bree enjoyed it, and everyone enjoyed Bree's voice.

There had not been enough liquid courage to get Bree up on stage just yet, but she knew if Derek did show, she would be staying as far away as possible from singing. She did not have to think hard to remember how his eyes felt on her when she took the stage with Abby and Carrie a few nights before.

It had been their choice to perform the Runaway June songs. They had been an opening act before a concert the ladies went to a few months before and the three of them started to follow the trio. _"If Naomi needs someone to take over for her, I think you've found a new career," _Abby had joked after Breezy learned all of the words to one of their songs.

"Stop worrying," Meg repeated as she watched the brunette over the top of the drink menu. Hazel eyes narrowed in her direction, but she dismissed them with a shrug. "He's looking like a no show anyways. We can eat, have another drink and call it an early night."

Bree smiled at the woman sitting across from her. In the past ten or so years, she had uprooted her life multiple times. She fled Chicago after her father passed away, and this part of Virginia was the fourth place she called home in just eight years. She was ready to put down roots somewhere, and finding friends was the first step towards that task. Megan was a great friend; she always joked that they barely acted like they worked together.

And even though she was still leery of most of the Wives Club, she knew she could trust Abby and Carrie. She had known them for a little over a year; when Eddie was working at the Richmond office he would work with the team he recently joined in Quantico. By the time his official transfer took place, Bree was a fixture with the Wives Club.

Breezy took a sip of her drink before glancing around the bar. O'Reilly's was definitely not as upscale as the Half-Keg, but it felt more like home to Bree. There was sports memorabilia all over the walls and each television played a different game.

Her eyes lit up as she spotted Derek slipping through the front door. She wanted to be mad that he was late, but she was relieved that he walked inside. His left hand was tucked in the pocket of his jeans and his face split in to a smile when he noticed a few familiar faces at the bar.

"Really subtle, Bree," Megan pointed out as she stirred the mixed drink concoction in front of her. "Why don't you make a sign that says 'Hey! I'm over here waiting for you!'"

Bree glared in her direction, but realized just how right Megan was. She sighed before following up with another sip of her drink. _Liquid courage_, she told herself. But she needed to limit her intake to not let Friday happen all over again. "Shush," she whispered sharply towards her friend.

Megan only cackled at the hiss. "So Prince Charming did show up," she muttered as she watched Bree's line of sight. "He _is _tall, dark and handsome." Bree could only laugh and nod at her friend's first impression. It was very similar to her first impression at eighteen years old.

"You should have seen him in college," Bree said dreamily. The snap that came from her friend across from her brought her back to reality. She nodded as she noticed she had been staring again. "Except I like this look better," she said in regards to the jeans that fit his ass just right and matched with a leather jacket over a dress shirt.

The smile crossing his face as he spoke with two men at the bar did not pass by Breezy. She licked her lips and tried her best to force her attention elsewhere. He was making her wait.

Just like she made him wait on Friday.

She stifled the groan in her throat as she turned her attention to the woman at the karaoke machine. She could not hit a note similar to Adele, but she was certainly trying to. _There is not enough booze for this, _Breezy mused to herself. "I don't sound like that, right?" the brunette asked as she pointed a thumb in the direction of the singer.

Megan shook her head. "God, no," she answered quickly. "You do realize people stick around when you get up there, right?" Bree shook her head and tried her best to tune the poor woman out. "Get up there and show them how it's done."

"No," Bree answered sharply. Part of her answer was because she was waiting for Derek to make his way over, but the other part did not want to take the spotlight from Adele's number one fan. "Not tonight."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "He's coming over," she said nonchalantly. Megan busied herself with checking her cell phone. To not look like she was copying her friend, Bree grabbed the drink menu from in front of her friend and pretended to check out the options on there.

It was not until he placed his beer glass on the table next to her arm – close enough for a chill to lift the hair on her arm – did she turn her eyes up from the menu. "Derek, hi," Bree greeted sweetly. "You made it after all."

He nodded. "I got a little tied up in the office," he quickly covered. He realized he was not the only one to come right from work; Breezy's blazer had been discarded and rested under her leather jacket on the chair behind her. Derek took in the white blouse tucked in to form fitting black dress pants.

Breezy fought to maintain her composure. _Terrible idea, _she repeated herself as she forced a breath between her lips. "Derek, this is Megan," she gestured to the blonde across from her. She placed her cell phone down and shook the hand he extended.

"Nice to meet you," he said warmly. Bree smirked at the smile crossing Meg's face.

She tried to limit the blush rising in her cheeks. "Likewise," she answered before taking her hand back and resting it in her lap. Meg pointed to the open seat at their table. Derek grinned as he shrugged out of his jacket and slid it across the back of the seat. "Bree was telling me you two went to college together."

Megan pursed her lips to retain a smirk as she noticed Bree's eyes double in size. Derek nodded. "We did," he confirmed. He reached for his beer and took a hearty sip. "Did you know Bree was in the top of her class at Northwestern?"

The blonde shook her head. "You know I don't like to brag," Bree cut in with a laugh dripping from her lips. She only hoped Derek would not notice how nervous the laugh sounded.

"Top three in her class," Derek continued, ignoring her silent plea to not brag about what she did in college. He was just about to open his mouth to continue when Breezy's cell phone lit up on the table for all three sets of eyes to see.

She curled her lips in together as she felt a change in the demeanor at the table, specifically from Derek. A photo of Breezy and Eddie popped up on the screen, and although the ringer was on silent, the sound of the device vibrating across the table reverberated through her mind. "Excuse me," she said softly as she snatched the cell phone off of the table.

She was quick to swipe to answer the call as she slid off of her barstool and made her way towards the bathroom. Bree placed the phone to her ear when she stepped through to the small room. "Hey Eddie," she sighed in to the phone.

"It's noisy," he stated firmly, rather than greeting his fiancé. Bree pursed her lips as she stared at her own reflection in the mirror. "Where are you?"

She forced a smile to her face to try to soften her tone. "Meg and I went out for dinner and drinks after work," she answered diligently. "O'Reilly's has karaoke on Monday nights, so that's probably what you heard."

The sigh he elicited caused the brunette to slip a hand through her long tresses. "I hope you're not embarrassing yourself with your singing again."

"I am sparing everyone the agony of it," she replied. It was as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Meg must have been wrong; she sounded just like the girl on the microphone before but she just didn't want to hurt her boss's feelings. "How many more days do you think you're out there?"

A scoff came over the line. "I don't know, Bree," he said with a sigh. "A few more, I'm hoping. I miss you," he muttered, trying this best not to let any one else hear the endearment dropping from his lips.

A true smile started to cross Bree's lips at the mention. "I miss you too," she added, trying her best to be genuine. But she wasn't. She couldn't help it, but she was trying to wrap up the call so she could join Derek at their table. _And Meg. Yes, join Meg as well,_ she reminded herself. "Be safe, okay?"

"I will," he promised. For his rough exterior and sometimes demeaning personality, she knew he truly cared about her. He just had a hard time showing it. "You get back to Megan," he urged. "Tell her I said hello."

"Will do," she answered. "Love you."

"I love you too, Breanna. I'll be home soon."

He disconnected the call and Breezy stared at the black screen. She slid her phone in to the back pocket of her dress pants and rubbed her hands together. Her eyes caught sight of the ring sitting on her left hand.

The fingers from her right hand held the piece between them and sighed. She couldn't take it off; that would give Derek the wrong impression. And quite frankly, Eddie had made contacts with people all over Virginia. The last thing she needed was for him to know she wasn't wearing her engagement ring.

One last deep breath passed through her lips before she pulled on the heavy wooden door to step back in to the bar area. Her brows furrowed as she returned to the table she vacated just minutes before to find Derek typing away on his cell phone.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she slid back on to her seat.

Derek nodded as he watched Breezy's eyes glance around the bar in search of the blonde she had left with him. "Meg had to run," he informed her and held his hands up when she turned to him. "Said the boyfriend was on his way to pick her up."

Bree tried her best to refrain from rolling her eyes and laughing. _I'm going to kill her, _she said to herself. Instead of saying anything regarding Meg, she could only smile and thank the waitress who brought over the food the two women had ordered. "Well, we better not let this go to waste," Bree said, trying to downplay her friend's actions.

Derek could see her working on her breathing techniques in front of him. There was no way he was going to let it go that her friend tried to set the two of them up for the night.

-xx-


	12. Chapter 12

**Back to You**

**Chapter 12**

-xx-

"Some friend you have there," Derek said as he gestured to the empty chair across from Bree. Part of him thought that he should move in to the vacated seat so he was not right next to Breezy. It would definitely help the situation in his pants by being so close to the brunette.

Bree only laughed at the way he worded it. "She's fired," she quipped. A chuckle escaped her lips at her failed attempt to be stern about the words she said. There was no way she was going to fire Megan, but she was mad at her friend.

_They _were supposed to be having dinner together after a long day in the office, though Bree's lasted just up until they were supposed to meet at seven o'clock. Derek was an afterthought. When she had texted him, and he asked what her plans were tonight, she mentioned hitting O'Reilly's with Megan after work. She was in need of a mixed drink – or five – after the day she had.

He had laughed and mentioned he may be in the area later than night. She politely said that it would be good to see him if he wanted to pop in for a drink.

But she realized now that Megan had set the whole thing up. She knew from the moment Breezy mentioned who had called the office that she could put a plan in to motion. An ex from college was a better person for Bree than the man she was engaged to.

Bree lifted her drink and took a sip, all while noticing how Derek watched her out of the corner of his eye. She picked at the salad in front of her, but eyed the fried food Megan had ordered before leaving. She placed her fork down and pulled her cell phone from her pocket.

Derek watched, amused, as she typed away on the screen. He did not want to be Megan right this moment, but to be honest, he was glad it was just the two of them.

_Where the hell are you? _She typed out before hitting the send button. Just as she was about to place her phone on the table, a message came through. _You're welcome. See you tomorrow morning. Call if you'll be late. _

_You're in so much trouble, _Breezy shot back before placing her phone face down. "Are you really upset that she left?" Derek asked before taking a bite of the chicken wing dangling from his fingers. "Am I that bad to hang out with?"

Breezy shook her head. "Of course not," she answered quickly. A little too quickly, she realized as she noted Derek's lifted brow. _Dangerous, yes, but not so bad, _she thought. "It's just," Bree sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Complicated?" Derek asked softly. She nodded. "I know," he muttered as he wiped his lips with a napkin. "And I definitely didn't make things easier the other night."

Breezy scoffed at his words. "That's the understatement of the century," she said with a laugh. His admittance took a load off of her shoulders.

"But I can't tell you I don't want to do it again," he warned her. Derek sighed and took a sip of his beer. Her eyes widened at the admission. "I can't tell you that I haven't thought about doing it again – and again, since Friday night."

Bree felt her breath catch in her throat at his words. This was what she was worried about; this was why she originally told him she could not hang out with him. And this was especially why she knew better than to be left alone with him. "You know you can't go around telling people how much you want to kiss them," Breezy pointed out.

"So what you're saying is I should show them?" He answered with his smirk fully in tact. Breezy could only shake her head.

Derek pursed his lips as he watched the brunette's reaction. They had made a rule to always be honest with each other, and even though it was made seventeen years ago, it was very true today.

His eyes were fixed on her bare lips; they longer rocked the red lipstick from Friday, but he still could not tear his eyes away. "You should have been here fourteen years ago." The words were coming on their own but Derek did not want to stop them. "I should have waited for you, Breezy, even if it meant I had to give up that offer."

His words seemed to snap her back to reality. Bree shook her head and tried to formulate a smile across her lips. "No," she sighed. "I was being stubborn."

A chuckle left Derek's lips. That was one thing he could not argue with her on. She had not been ready to leave Illinois when he did; he had his life planned out when he made it to Virginia. Breezy was always calculated. She was not ready to move to be with him until she had a job offer for the area. There was no way she would live on his dime while he busted his ass in the Academy.

He knew with how determined she was that she could find a job on her own in Virginia. But she wanted the validation that came with an offer.

If he had just known about her dad, Derek would have dropped everything in Virginia to be home with her. She should not have gone through accepting the loss by herself. He should have stood by her then, and brought her back to Virginia with him.

Derek kicked himself for letting fourteen years pass without so much as a thought. She was always in the back of his mind, but it was more along the lines of setting the bar for any woman he met. No one matched what he felt with Breezy. And he was pretty sure, after seeing her again, that no one could.

"You've always been stubborn, Bree," Derek muttered, eliciting a laugh from the brunette. "But it's one of the things I've always loved about you."

Bree felt her entire body freeze as the word slipped out of his mouth. She was sure he hadn't meant it, but when she caught sight of him from the side of her eye, she knew he did. She knew he said it on purpose, to see if he could still garner the same reaction from her that he did all those years ago. "Derek," she sighed.

She closed her eyes and slowly turned to the man sitting next to her. She forced a deep breath in to her lungs as she felt his large hand rest on her knee under the table. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and her lips parted just enough. "I can't stay away from you, Breezy," he mumbled softly as he leaned closer to the brunette.

She could not move, but prayed that he kept his lips to himself. He was leaning closer so he did not have to holler over the screecher on the microphone. Bree could not even name the song they were butchering, but it was the last thing on her mind. His hand being on her body sent shock-waves through her system.

"You should," she warned softly. Her lips settled in to a tight smile as she watched the expressions crossing his face. She had always been so good about reading his facial expressions but was let down that she seemed to be out of practice. "I mean it, Derek. You should stay away from me."

"Why?" he challenged. She licked her lips when she realized he was not going to back down without a fight. "I let you go once, and it was the worst mistake I ever made."

She placed her hand on the table in front of them and felt Derek's eyes immediately focus on the ring on her hand. "I can't be with you, Derek."

Derek sighed and slowly lifted his hand away from her leg. He took a long sip from his glass of beer and frowned when he noticed it was empty. "Because of him?" he asked as he gestured to the diamond. She lowered her chin closer to her neck and pursed her lips. "Why are you out with me when he's not here?"

"I don't know," she mumbled. She could not turn to look towards him so her eyes focused on the plate in front of her. "When we talk on the phone, I don't have a worry in the world," she admitted and licked her lips. "It seems so harmless inviting you out when I'm going out to get a drink. And then you walk in the room and I realize how bad of an idea it is."

"Because of him?" She slowly nodded as he repeated the question. Derek sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose; he was going to stay restrained during this conversation. "It's obvious that you two don't have what we had."

Bree narrowed her eyes as she shook her head. "That's not even fair to say, Derek," she warned quietly. She slowly blew a long stream of air from her lips and shrugged her shoulders. "You don't know the first thing about my relationship."

"I know you're not happy," he argued. She tapped her nails against the table and shrugged again. "And that's not me hoping that, or saying it because you're out with me." Breezy slowly lifted her head and locked eyes with his chocolate brown orbs. "When you look at that ring, Breezy, you sigh every single time. It's a reminder of how you feel tied down."

Bree shook her head. "Don't profile me, Derek," she sharply spat in his direction.

Derek leaned back in his seat and nodded when the waitress pointed to his empty glass. The cute little blonde took his empty and slid away from the table. "I'm sure it's a heavy piece of jewelry," he continued, ignoring her plea, "but that's mostly from the expectations that you carry with you. Am I right?"

He could tell by the look on her face that he was, but he wanted to hear it from her lips. Her eyes lingered on the diamond and like he had pointed out, a sigh escaped her lips. She swallowed noisily, praying to settle her nerves. "Derek," she warned once more, "Don't go there."

"Why not, Breezy?" he asked as he flung an arm over the side of his chair to turn his body towards her. "Why can't you just admit it?"

"I have been with him for six years," she argued. Her lips curled just slightly. "I love him."

Derek smirked and tapped his own fingers against the table as he waited for his refill. "You won't even say _his _name in my presence, Breezy."

Bree pursed her lips as the realization struck her. What the hell could that mean?

"Walking away from you was the worst mistake I've ever made," he repeated from the beginning of their conversation. He smiled as the waitress placed a fresh beer on the table in front of him. "But I want to make up for that, Breezy. You're here for a reason."

She parted her suddenly dry lips and nodded. "I'm here because _Eddie _was offered a promotion to come here."

Derek shook his head and took a sip of his drink. He chuckled as he noticed she named her fiancé for once. The name left her lips in a strained tone; he knew she was trying to emphasize it but she forced it more. "After fourteen years, it's just some big coincidence that you end up in the same area that I live in? That we end up at the same event? And we're in line at the bar at the same time?"

"Yup," she replied shortly. She could see where his train of thought was going, but he was just being ridiculous. He was grasping at straws to point out that they belonged together. "I'll admit, Derek," she began and noticed how his eyes perked up at her words, "there are still some lingering feelings there." A smile crossed his lips at her admission. "But, that doesn't mean anything."

"Like hell it doesn't, Breezy," he shot back. Long gone was the smile on his face as he shook his head. "You admitted to me that every man you met was in competition with me. If those feelings don't mean anything, then there's no competing."

Breezy took a long sip of her drink and drained the glass. She sighed as she pushed back from the table. "You're not being fair," she spat before slipping out of her chair.

Derek sighed when he lost her in the crowd on her way to the bathroom.

-xx-


	13. Chapter 13

**Back to You**

**Chapter 13**

-xx-

Breezy stared at her reflection in the mirror and sighed as she thrust a hand through her curls. This entire night was a mistake – right?

She wanted so hard to tell herself that she was wrong to invite Derek out, and she knew she should be mad at Meg for leaving her alone with him. She had to be the strong one in this situation, obviously.

Derek was hell bent on proving to her that they belonged together, but she was with someone else. Why did he not understand that? He didn't seem to care about her relationship; he never asked if Eddie took good care of her. He only wanted her back.

_Selfish asshole, _she muttered as she pulled her hair in to a ponytail at the back of her head. She sighed as she slipped the elastic around her hair to hold it in place. Her bangs slipped down to her face and covered the expanse above her left eyebrow.

She loved Eddie; she truly did. But she also had to admit that Derek wasn't wrong. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows in their household. She was honestly sick of uprooting her life for him.

The decision to leave Chicago was hers. Every move since then was on Eddie. Every move was to further his career; he had no problem telling her to put in her two weeks. He had no concerns about making her start her own life over every time he was promoted or transferred.

If she was being honest with herself, she knew he wanted nothing more than for her to finalize a wedding date and become a homemaker like the wives in the Club. That was not Bree, though. She finally found a job she adored – it was not her dream job, not by a million miles, but it made her feel good. She helped out those who fought for her freedom.

She was their advocate; why should they be riddled with bills and loans when they sacrificed for her safety.

Her own fiancé ridiculed her for accepting a job like the one she had. Of course, no one was as important in his own mind as Eddie was. He was in the goddamn FBI after all. That meant something; working in an office for a rehab was nothing.

He was responsible for eliminating terrorist threats; what was she doing at home? Bree was barely home by six o'clock every night, so dinner was usually late or take-out. What kind of woman treated her future husband that way?

Bree flipped the cold knob on the sink and let her fingers linger in the water until they became chilly. It brought her back from being so wrapped up in her own head. She thrust a hand towards the knob to turn it off and let one last sigh escape her lips.

It was probably a terrible idea – even worse than the last few – but she was heading back out in to the bar with a clear head. A clear head and a realization that the man who sat by himself at their table cared more for her than the man she lived with.

As she hastily dried her hands, she reached for the handle to the door. She wrapped the paper towel around it and pulled, stopping only to place the towel in the trash. Breezy ran a hand over her blouse; partially to calm her nerves but also to not look as disheveled as she felt.

Derek turned his attention from the hockey game on TV as she stepped back to the table. He slid her credit card over to her when reached for her purse on the ground by her seat. "I ordered another round," he said softly. His eyes had softened from their conversation.

It was something she loved about that man. He was always so fierce; when it came to his job, or to her. If he cared about something, you knew about it, just by his facial expressions.

"You okay, Breezy?" he asked, noting the look on her face. His brows furrowed as she reached out to place a hand to his bicep. She offered a squeeze before dropping her hand when she slid on to her chair.

Hazel eyes lit up as her tongue slipped between her lips to moisten them. "I will be," she answered meekly.

Derek narrowed his eyes in her direction. This was not the same woman who walked away from him a few minutes before, but by the look on her face, she was coming to realize that he was not completely wrong. "Anything I can do to help?" he asked before offering a nod to their waitress.

She shook her head. "You're helping enough," she replied quietly. Bree focused on stirring her drink together rather than glancing in his direction. "I still can't believe no woman has nailed you down yet."

Derek laughed at her words. "No one has caught my eye in quite some time," he admitted before taking a sip from his fresh glass of beer. He shrugged a shoulder when she turned towards him.

"No one was me," she answered for him. Bree chuckled as she noticed he was trying his best to remain stoic, but offered her a tip of his head. She was not being conceited, but it was easy enough to put the pieces together. "Sorry."

Derek scoffed as he played with the coaster under his beer. "For what?" he asked; his eyes burned with the need of her honesty. "For setting the bar too high?"

"I was eighteen, Derek," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "A girlfriend from college should be easy to get over."

The black man pursed his lips and leaned back in his seat. His fingers continued to play with the shred of the coaster that had started to fall apart. "You weren't just a 'girlfriend from college', Breezy," he pointed out. Derek sighed. "You were everything."

Breezy let a soft sigh tumble from her lips as Derek looked over at her. Without him being directly next to her, she could feel the pressure of his gaze. In need of the liquid courage, she took a hearty sip of her drink. "There are more years between us than we spent together."

"What's that supposed to mean, Breezy?" Derek crossed his arms over his chest as he watched her. He lost himself in the memory of counting the freckles splashed across her nose. "I can't be stuck on the best three years of my life?"

His words caused her throat to tighten. She could feel her face flush at the blatant honesty dripping from his words. "I just mean, it was a long time ago, Derek. We've both changed since then – grown up."

"Moved on," he added for her. Bree's lips pursed in to a tight line. "You can say it, Breezy."

Her fingers fiddled with the straw in her glass as she contemplated her words. Breezy felt like she had been sucker punched. She took a deep breath as she focused on the small piece of plastic between her digits. "You never came back, Derek," she said softly. Her voice was barely audible over the karaoke in the background. Her lips parted but quickly closed with a sigh. "I was convinced that you forgot all about me."

"You know I could never forget about you, Breezy." He urged her to look up at him, but her eyes stayed on the glass in front of her. She knew the second she looked up that she would be overcome with emotion that she did not have the strength for. "You don't forget about someone that you love."

Her lips curled just slightly at the edges. "You moved out here and never looked back," she explained. "I couldn't stay in Chicago, hoping and praying that some day you would realize I was still there."

Derek took a sip from his glass and sighed as he placed his back on the table. "I never wanted to leave you, Breezy." She nodded softly at his admission. "For the longest time, I thought this job was what I always wanted in my life."

Breezy nodded as she narrowed her eyes on the ice in her glass. She moved the straw around just enough to keep her full attention off of Derek's words. The explanations hurt too much right now. "The job you're doing is all you ever wanted. It was all you ever talked about."

"It was," he agreed. Derek reached across and placed his hand on her forearm, causing her hazel eyes to turn away from the liquid inside her glass. "For fourteen years, it's all I've known, Breezy. But I watch members of my team with their families and I long for that."

Bree licked her lips as she took in everything he was saying. "And now the job's not enough?" she asked warily.

Derek shrugged his shoulders. "Don't get me wrong," he began to backtrack. Her eyes were drilling holes through him and he was struggling with his wording. "I love my job. I was made to do this job." She nodded. His hand slowly moved down to cover hers. "But, I come home to an empty house. No one is waiting for me at home."

The brunette sighed as she processed what he was trying to say. In some ways, he sounded just like Eddie did. He wanted her home and waiting for him when he would get back from his overseas trips or from the office. "I'm no housewife," she shut down his train of thought.

Or so she thought. Derek shook his head. "I'm not looking for a housewife, Breezy," he explained. His eyes lingered on her smaller hand as his enveloped it. He tried his best to ignore her diamond ring stabbing him in the palm. "I have no one to share my _life _with."

"I'm not that person," she whispered. The words came out of her mouth before she could attempt to stop them. Not that really wanted to stop them; toying with the idea of a future with Derek was silly. She was engaged, after all. And she knew that he was married to his job.

Derek watched as Breezy nibbled on her lower lip. He forced himself to finish off his glass of beer instead of making a comment about her action. "This isn't fair to you," he mumbled as he called over the waitress to get their bill. He could read the questions in her eyes and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Breezy."

She sighed as he removed his hand from on top of hers. Normally she would attempt to fix the engagement ring sitting on her finger, but she ignored the glaring diamond as it sat off center. "What do you want from me, Derek?"

Her words were clear, but the question was loaded with other questions. "What I want and what is going to happen are two completely different things," he said softly as he stretched in his seat to pull his wallet from his back pocket.

Breezy shook her head and placed her hand on top of the leather piece in his hand. "It's my turn," she reminded him with a brilliant smile. Derek smirked at her words. She stood from her seat and crouched to grab her wallet from her purse. She had to bite back her smirk as she felt Derek's eyes linger on the v neck of her blouse.

He watched as she effortlessly pulled her credit card from her wallet and hand it to the waitress before she could place the book on the table. "I'm making this too complicated, Breezy."

The brunette shrugged just enough to catch his eye. "I have a lot I need to think about right now," she answered before her tongue darted out of her mouth to moisten her lower lip. "Things I've been thinking about for a few months now," she confessed.

"Does he treat you good?" The sincerity in his question caught the brunette off guard.

Her lips parted as she pondered the question. "I should go," she mumbled as she pulled her purse from its spot on the floor next to her seat. She tucked her wallet back inside after the waitress brought her card back over to her. Breezy signed her name hastily and smirked when Derek slipped cash in to leave for a tip.

The brunette grabbed her leather jacket from the back of her chair and slid in to it with ease. Her fingers fumbled with the zipper and caused a groan to escape her lips. She had to bite down on her lower lip as Derek moved her fingers out of the way and zipped her jacket up for her. "In a rush all of a sudden?" he asked, his tone joking.

She tried to push through a smile but found it was useless. She shrugged her shoulders and slipped her purse on to her forearm before starting towards the front door of the bar. Derek was quick on her tracks as he slid his own jacket on while he moved around tables and chairs.

"Breezy," he called out as he followed her through the door. "What did I say that was wrong?"

She turned on her heel and narrowed her eyes in his direction. "I know where your line of questioning is going," she accused as she pursed her lips together. "Does he treat you good is code for 'does he hit you'," she spat in his direction. "That's bullshit and you know it."

"And you throwing up your defenses doesn't help the question, Bree," he said softly. Her eyes softened as she shook her head. Derek sighed as he thrust a hand in to the pocket of his jeans. "Has he?" he asked gently, soft enough to not garner added attention to the front of the bar. "Has he ever laid a hand on you, Bree?"

She shook her head slowly. "Never," she answered. She released her hair from the ponytail at the back of her head and let her shoulders sag. "He has never laid a hand on me, Derek."

The tone in which she answered him caused an eyebrow to rise in her direction. She answered with almost the exact same words he used to ask her the question. "You would tell me if he did?" he asked warily.

She shrugged once more as her lips trembled with a sigh. "He wouldn't hit me, D." The disdain in her voice was easily detected. "I'm going home."

He watched as she nibbled on her lip when her cell phone came to life in her hands. "Where's your car?"

"At the office," she answered softly. Her eyes did not lift from her phone. "It's alright – I'll take an Uber."

Derek sighed as she typed away at the screen in front of her. He knew arguing about it was useless at this point, but he would wait with her until the car arrived. "I could have given you a ride."

Again, her shoulders lifted and fell in a nonchalant shrug. "Eddie is anal about checking the cameras on the house when he's out of town," she said softly. Her lips contorted together at the admission.

Breezy barely lifted her eyes to the man just a few steps in front of her. He could tell by the way she said it that he truly did have cameras around the house.

Derek took a hesitant step towards Breezy and let out a soft breath when she did not move from him. His hand slipped on to her forearm causing her to swallow the lump growing in her throat. "Derek," she warned softly.

"I know I'm not a good option, Breezy," he answered. His tone matched hers and he noticed a sigh escape her lips. Her hazel eyes locked on his chocolate brown orbs; he tried his best to read the questions and words in her gaze but found it impossible. "I should stay away."

Her lips pursed together in a tight line as the words left his mouth. Her eyes darted away from him in an attempt to keep her emotions in check. "Okay," she mumbled.

"But I can't," he finished his sentence, causing her to turn back up to him. He cringed at the tears pooling in her eyes. "I can't stay away from you, Bree. I only hope that I can make up for the past fourteen years."

Words caught on her lips as she stared at the man in front of her. Words and promises and adoration that years could not tarnish. She sighed when Derek lifted his careful watch from her face to the car pulling up to the curb behind her. "I'll be in touch," she muttered when he looked back down at her.

He nodded and found himself frozen in his spot as she pushed up on her tip toes to place a chaste kiss to his cheek. Her head bowed as she turned towards the Uber waiting at the sidewalk.

-xx-


	14. Chapter 14

**Back to You**

**Chapter 14**

-xx-

Bree closed the folder in front of her and released a deep sigh. Her mind was anywhere but inside the office right now. She replayed their conversation the night before over and over.

She could feel her fingers wrap around Derek's arm when she returned to the table. When had the muscles formed in his arm? She could remember how his entire arm tensed originally when she squeezed his forearm.

Their conversation outside of the bar could not have lasted more than ten minutes, but the silences felt like it took hours. _I only hope that I can make up for the past fourteen years_, rang through her head over and over. It was the last thing she remembered before she entered a fitful night of sleep.

_If only life was that easy_, she reminded herself. Of course it wasn't. They may not have had a date set in stone, but she knew what was expected of her. Eddie had finally achieved his dream job – it was just a matter of time until the rest of his plan came to fruition.

Bree threw herself back in her office chair and ran a hand across the top of her hair, stopping at the bun gracing the back of her head. Her heels had been toed off underneath her desk and her legs crossed at her ankles.

She swiveled in the chair for a moment as she stared at her cell phone. Besides a quick reply to message Derek sent first thing this morning, she had not answered him. She needed to focus on her job, as did he.

Light pink nails tapped against the arm rest as she let out one more sigh. Her mind was no where near the stack of papers in front of her. She needed to make a decision – of that she was sure – but what she didn't know was what she was going to do after that decision was made.

It would leave her with nothing. If she made the decision swirling in her mind, she knew she could not jump from one man to another. That would be the worst possible outcome. She needed to do this for herself.

She needed to be sure of her future. It was something she had put on the backburner for the past six years. Even running from Chicago with limited money in her bank account was not a sure thing.

She needed to get away from it all. From Derek's promises that he would come back, to her father's passing. Every where she went in town held some reminder of those two men. The two things in her life that slipped through her fingers and she could never get back.

So why was the question so difficult to answer now? She had a chance to take back the best thing in her life.

They had both changed, she admitted to herself. He was laser focused on his career. Breezy loved her job and the friends she had made since she came to the area. Abby and Carrie would get caught in the cross-fire, she was sure.

The rest of the Wives Club was the least of her concern, but her A & C were tough to give up. God only knew the reaction from the rest of the Club if she ever chose to leave Eddie. This was a reason why she wanted to separate herself from Eddie's career – she would be left with nothing if anything ever happened between them.

Her lips parted to let out one more sigh as she watched her cell phone briefly light up on her desk. Bree sat up in her seat and moved towards the device. It had since gone black, letting her know it was either a notification for an app or a text message.

It had been the latter. _Heading out of town. Dinner when I get back? _

She rested the device on her desk in front of her and closed her eyes. The good news – she would have a few days to think on her own. Eddie was not expected back until at least the end of the week. And with Derek on the road for work, she was going to have time to clear her mind.

She could finally think without feeling like some one was breathing down her neck. There was no timeline on when she needed to have her mind made up.

All she knew was she needed to not run from Virginia the way she ran from Chicago, as enticing as the idea seemed.

-xx-

"You are my savior," JJ said with a groan as she reached for the Styrofoam cup of coffee in Derek's hand. She shrugged her long blonde locks over her shoulder as she took a seat at the table where Derek was overlooking piles of folders.

He offered a simple smile as he returned his gaze to the open file in front of him. "Did he let anything up?" he asked, in regards to the interrogation JJ just stepped out of. She shook her head and sighed. "We're back to square one."

She nodded in agreement – more to the sigh that came out of his lips than his words. She had spent over two hours in the interrogation room and got absolutely no where. The pair hoped Emily or Alvez had better luck than she did.

JJ took a sip from the cup of coffee and closed her eyes in appreciation for the coffee bean. And for her best friend knowing just how she preferred her java. When they reopened, she turned her gaze from the folders that Derek was studying to the man next to her. "What's on your mind, JJ?"

She shrugged; it was no where near case related, but she needed to know what was going on with her best friend. It was not like him to be quiet. "What's going on, Derek?" she asked. The frankness in her voice caused his lips to turn up at the sides. "You're not here," she said as she pointed to the paperwork in front of him, "but seem to be stuck up here."

JJ tapped the side of his head; that one small action caused his shoulders to sag. He cast a quick look over his shoulder and pursed his lips when he noticed they were alone. Normally when they were in the field, it was not an issue. JJ worked in stride with Derek at all times. He figured she would be the first one to notice his head was not in the game.

The blonde sighed and stood from her chair, just long enough to shut the only door to the meeting room they worked in. She narrowed her eyes in his direction when she retook her seat next to him. "You can tell me anything, Derek," she urged.

He nodded. Derek tapped the pen in his hand against the papers in front of him. "I can't get her out of my head, Jayje." He turned his head slightly towards the blonde and sighed when her brow lifted in his direction. "Breezy."

The blonde licked her lips as she focused on what he was saying. The pieces fit; Derek had been off his game since the Gala, but had not said anything else regarding the brunette since. She shook her head. JJ realized that everything was in front of her that Sunday morning when she tried to pull him back in to the hotel restaurant. The way he looked at her and the way she looked back. The expression he may have missed when he pretended to play with his cell phone when her fiancé turned around from the front desk.

"How do I get her out of my head?"

The question lingered in silence for a minute as JJ took another sip of her coffee. "Is that what you really want?"

His shoulder lifted and fell with an umph. Derek leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head. "I want _her_," he answered. He shook his head and scoffed. "But it'll never happen."

"Because of Kelleher?" the petite blonde asked softly. Her eyes glanced through the window pane of the door behind them and pursed her lips when she watched Rossi step in to the viewing room outside of interrogation. "They're not married," she bartered. "Is there a reason behind that? I know most of those JTTF guys don't wait around long because they're always back and forth from the Middle East."

Derek closed his eyes as he let the revelation pass over him. Breezy never said out right why they were not married yet, but he could read the answers in her eyes a few nights before. There was definitely a hang up in that relationship and he would bet that it was there before he came back in the picture.

"What's your head saying?" the blonde urged. She was soft; she never forced information out of the black man unless she absolutely had to.

Chocolate brown orbs reopened as he shrugged his shoulders once more. "She's got her reasons to not get married," he said before pursing his lips. His hands came down from their spot behind his head; Derek brushed the sweat off of them on to his jeans. "She swore that he's never laid a hand on her, so it can't be that."

"How long have they been together?" she asked, fearing that any question regarding the JTTF agent was going to send him overboard.

Once more his shoulders raised and slumped in succession. "I left Chicago in '05 to come here, to the BAU," he answered. He took a deep breath before the next mark in his timeline. "Breezy's dad died three years later. She said she was down south for a while after that."

"So five or six years?" JJ guessed. Derek shrugged his shoulders. "I'm willing to bet there is a reason why she has not walked down the aisle yet."

Derek groaned. "Because this guy is a piece of shit?" he asked with a throaty laugh.

JJ rolled her eyes. "Do you want honesty, Derek?" she asked, not wanting to waste any more of her time on the issue if he didn't. He slowly nodded. "You don't know this guy. Bree says he's a good guy, right?" His chin dipped in a semi-nod. "And you trust her being able to make that decision?"

The question sounded just a bit too snobby for Derek's liking. His arms crossed over his chest as he turned only his head towards his best friend. "What are you trying to get at JJ?"

The blonde held her hands up and sighed. "You want her back in your life so badly that you want to decide for her that this guy is not right for her."

The blatant honesty dripping from her statement caused Derek to bite down on the inside of his lip. His tongue rested on the top of his mouth as he processed her words. As usual, Jennifer Jareau was right – but he was not about to let her know she cracked his code.

"Making up her mind for her will only make her resent you," she continued. The two turned to the commotion in the hallway behind them. JJ stood from her seat and rested a hand on Derek's shoulder. "I hope I'm wrong about this Derek. Maybe Kelleher will show his true colors and turn out to be an asshole. And just maybe Bree will come back to you. But you can't push it. This needs to be her decision."

Derek nodded as he lifted his eyes towards the blue eyed beauty next to him. She fixed her white button down and ran a hand over her dress pants before reaching for her cup of coffee. In just moments, she had the door opened and was stepping in to the hall to check in with Emily.

"I was just coming for you and Derek," their Unit Chief said as she took a second to catch her breath. "We've got a break in the case!"

Derek forced a sip of lukewarm coffee down his throat in an attempt to bring himself back to the present. His team needed him right now – the battle in his heart needed to wait until later.

-xx-

_Author's Note: Are you guys still there? It's been awful quiet over the last few chapters._

_Hit me with your thoughts. _

_xo_


	15. Chapter 15

**Back to You**

**Chapter 15**

-xx-

"Breanna!" The brunette froze in her spot as she heard the front door slam behind Eddie as he stepped inside. His bags fell to the floor with a clatter, causing her lips to settle in to a fine line. "Where are you?"

Breezy pushed up from her spot crouched in front of the oven. When he had called her four and a half hours ago to let her know he was back States side, she planned to have dinner ready when he got home. She knew from going to pick him up, the airport was only fifteen minutes away.

But from the way he let his bags hit the ground she knew he made a pit stop with some of the guys from his team before heading home. The clang let her know that the cognac was flowing between the members of the team who did not care to head right home.

"In the kitchen," she called back, trying to will her voice to not give out. It was not that he had ever hit her – Eddie had never lifted a finger towards her – but he was loud and frightening when he had been drinking.

She ran her hands over the jeans she changed in to after work and sighed as he leisurely strolled through the town house on his way to the kitchen. "You cooked?" he asked, a look of surprise taking over his face.

Breezy forced a smile to her lips as she nodded. "I did," she replied. One quick glance around the kitchen barely gave away the hint that she truly did cook. She had made sure to have the kitchen spotless for his arrival home. "And your favorite brownies should be done any minute now."

Eddie ran a hand over his face and then through his shaggy blonde hair. Bree refrained from making a note about his needing a hair cut in the worst way and was happy to know his monthly supply of razor blades arrived in the mail a few days before. She was still getting used to how he would look when he returned from days in the field in the Middle East. "Where's dinner, then?" he asked pointedly.

"I'll have it ready in a minute," she said as she reached in to the refrigerator to get the two plates she put together before putting away the leftovers. She knew she would be in for it if she ate with out him.

Eddie scoffed as he rested against the kitchen counters while Bree skittered around the kitchen. His intimidating frame was only accented by the scent of booze and cigarettes that dripped off of him. "Are you serving me food from the microwave?"

The brunette stopped short of placing his plate in to the appliance in question. Her eyes widened as she turned towards the blonde. "I had dinner ready three hours ago," she said softly.

"I just spent a week busting my ass overseas, and you can't even put together a fresh meal for me?" His voice began to rise as he got to the end of his question. "What the fuck kind of wife are you?"

The slur at the end of the second question caused her lips to part but no words came out. Instead, she brushed off the degrading feeling before returning to the task at hand. Repeating the fact that she had dinner ready well before he decided to grace her with his presence was not going to sit well with him in his intoxicated state.

"Are you going to answer me, Breanna?"

The coldness in his voice caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. Instead of giving him the answer she wanted to, she stuck with her smile. "I'm sorry, Eddie. I had dinner ready – I waited for you to get home to eat with you."

He gave a grunt in her direction before pushing off of the counter en route to the fridge. She bit her tongue as she listened to his bitch and moan about every little thing in the refrigerator in search of more alcohol. One trip to the bar was not enough when he would come home from time overseas. "Hurry it up, would you?" he barked as he popped the cap off of a bottle of beer. "I'd like to shower at some point in the next hour."

Bree nodded as the microwave beeped. She had the kitchen table still set from hours before and carried his piping hot plate to the table. Eddie trudged across the small kitchen towards the wooden table and sat down to eat.

She said a silent prayer that he did not bitch about what she decided to make for dinner as she placed her own plate in the microwave. Bree was distracted by the beeping from the oven; she slid on an oven mitt and pulled the brownies from the oven and placed them on the stove top to cool down.

By the time her own plate for dinner was ready and she made it to the table, she noticed Eddie was mostly done with his meal. "How was it?" she asked, trying to rid the room of the overwhelming silence taking over.

Eddie grunted and shrugged his shoulders. "Edible," he answered before scooping the last bite in to his mouth. He wiped his lips and pushed the plate away from him as he finished off his bottle of beer. Eddie pushed back from the table and stood.

Breezy offered a simple smile as he dropped a kiss to the top of her head. Her chest grew with satisfaction as he placed his empty bottle in the box for recycling.

"I'm going to take a shower," he said as he neared the doorway between the kitchen and living room. Bree nodded when he turned back towards her. For the first time since he stepped in the house, he smiled in her direction. "Dinner was delicious, baby. Thank you."

With that, he started out of the kitchen and she let out a sigh when she could hear his steps up the staircase to the second floor. Her eyes closed for a brief moment before she continued to eat her own dinner.

She could hear the shower turn on upstairs; the silence in the kitchen enveloped her. She knew he did not mean to come off as cold when he returned from his overseas trips. It was part of his job to stay gruff on the outside and she understood it took time when he came home to shake that part of him.

She lived for those moments when he would return to the gentle and sweet man she met six years before. The man who stopped to offer her a smile and a compliment though he was dying to get in the shower. That smile he offered before stepping out of the kitchen brought the shadow of a smile to her own lips.

As she finished her dinner in silence, she took a moment to check the clock above the stove. A sigh escaped her lips as it read 9:29 pm. It was too late to try to go out for a run to get rid of some of her pent up aggravation. And it was definitely too late to head out to meet up with Meg for a drink.

After the week the two had in the office, she would not be surprised if Meg was already home in bed. She was thankful for the busy week in the office; it kept her mind off of the two nights she spent out with Derek while Eddie was gone.

She knew she would never hear the end of it if Eddie ever found out. But as her phone vibrated in her pocket, she fought the grin tugging at her lips at the potential of who was on the other line.

A roll of her eyes was the only response when she pulled the device from her pocket. _Did Eddie come home ten sheets to the wind, too? _Abby. Tim and Eddie were usually on the same wave length when it came to hitting the bar upon arriving back in Virginia.

Abby seemed fairly lenient when it happened, but she knew from experience that Tim was more touchy-feely when he was intoxicated. Abby always made out well in that situation, as opposed to Bree as she sat at the kitchen table by herself.

_Shit-faced, _Breezy typed back with a deep sigh. She hit send and placed her cell phone down on the table in front of her. She gathered up her own plate and started towards the sink. A third round of dishes could wait until Eddie got out of the shower upstairs.

Her phone vibrated once more, breaking her from the stare down she was having with the two plates sitting in the sink. Bree shook her head causing her messy bun to swing across her head. _It's probably too late for dinner, but I'm going out for a drink. Would love it if you joined me. _

Breezy pulled her plump lower lip between her teeth as she read the text over and over again. She shook her head; she knew better. Besides, there was no way to get out of the house with Eddie hot on her heels.

She listened as the shower turned off upstairs. She braced herself as she stood next to the table, staring down at her cell phone. The text message sat open on the screen as she listened to the movement upstairs.

The townhouse was half of the two family home; two bedrooms and one bath was all they needed since it was just them. The second bedroom had been converted in to a temporary home office for Eddie, leaving Breezy most of the downstairs to do with what she pleased.

A sigh stumbled from her lips as she picked up her cell phone and typed back a response. _Not tonight. E just got home from his trip overseas. _She struggled to not go in to detail about his drunken behavior. It would only send red flags to Derek and that was the last thing she needed when Eddie was home.

_Shame. I'll make sure to have one for you. x _

Her tongue darted from between her lips to moisten them as she read too far in to the simple 'x' at the end of his message. _It's just a typo, _she told herself as her eyes darted around the kitchen.

They had downsized from the size of the kitchen in Richmond, but it was all she really needed. Eddie had convinced her to put a make shift bar in the corner of the kitchen and at the moment, it seemed like the best idea he had recently.

Bree went to work mixing herself a drink as she tried to listen for any sign of Eddie on the second floor. The last thing she needed was his to scold her for making herself a drink, but not him.

After a quick trip to the second floor – and finding him passed out in their bed after his shower – she sighed in relief as she grabbed her mixed drink and cell phone. Breezy stepped through the back door and on to the shared porch.

Luckily for her, their neighbors were an older couple who much preferred to keep to themselves. The porch was covered by the overhang of the second floor, and had a railing in the middle, separating the two spaces.

Breezy made herself comfortable on the back steps that lead down to the small backyard. It was rarely used, but Mr. Reynolds next door always tended to the grass and his wife took care of the oversized garden on their side of the yard.

She placed her glass down on the porch next to her as she rested back against the railing. With a laugh, she took a picture of the drink she concocted for herself and sent it to Derek. She rolled her eyes as she added the text.

_Next best thing. A little Friday night R&R with my buddy Tito. _

-xx-


	16. Chapter 16

**Back to You**

**Chapter 16**

-xx-

Derek gripped his bottle of beer a little tighter as the text came through from Breezy. He figured it was a long shot; if she was already out, he could have met up with her wherever she was. But knowing that her fiancé was back in town put a damper on his mood.

He had no claims over Breezy, but he would be damned to not give it a try. The years did her good; she was more beautiful than she was in college. She knew how to dress and he could not lie – he loved the heels she seemed to rock every time he saw her.

From tight jeans that seemed to be made for her to her work clothes, Breezy knew how to put herself together. It was a far cry from the sweatpants and t-shirts she rocked in college. After he was able to nab a date with her, she joked that she had no real reason to dress up anymore.

"_I already have the handsomest guy on campus," she said with a wink as she pulled his football sweatshirt closer to her thin frame. "There's no reason to get all dolled up now." _

Derek chuckled as the memory played in his mind. She always looked perfect to him, and when she would wear his football attire to a game, it drove him crazy.

She pulled out all of the stops when they would go out, but they spent more time in his dorm than anywhere else. Breezy did most of her school work at his desk rather than her own.

A smirk crossed his lips as the second message came through. He picked up his phone to examine the photo she sent.

He lined up the bottle of beer and shot of whiskey and took a picture of the two. Derek pressed send on the screen and sent the photo to Breezy.

Penelope and Emily had called it an early night; most of the team met up for their traditional drink after a brutal case. Alvez was on the other side of the bar chatting up a blonde who was falling hook, line and sinker for his lines.

Derek took a hearty sip from the bottle in front of him as Breezy sent back an emoji of two drinks clinking. He followed up with the same emoji and a wink.

_It's not good to drink alone_, he added with a sad face. He chuckled as he realized he was alone, too.

Yet he never felt alone knowing Breezy was on the other end of the phone. They had talked briefly through text messages over the past few days. She had been up to her elbows in work at the office and Derek was busy in the field, but he made time for her.

A smile crossed his face as a photo came through the text chain. It was Breezy with her glass lifted to her lips. Her hair sat in a messy bun from what he could tell, and she limited the make-up.

But those hazel eyes called to him. They were twinkling; like this text message conversation was their own little secret. After all, it sort of was. She was hiding it from her fiancé and he was ignoring the looks Alvez shot him all night.

This was definitely the second best thing. If he couldn't be with her in person, he was keeping her occupied as she worked her way through the bottle of Tito's at home. And her sending a photo of herself was a great addition.

Derek glanced towards where Luke was in conversation with the blonde woman and smirked when he noticed he was still lingering at their table. He always gave Luke credit – the man could spit some serious game. When Alvez first transferred to their team, he was worried that Luke would put a damper on his abilities at the bar.

He pulled up the camera on his phone and took a quick selfie to send to Breezy. He had to laugh as he hit 'send' on the screen. A quick roll of his eyes came when his phone lit up before he could place it back to the bar top.

_Bar lighting is not a good look for you, _she sent back with a winking face. He could picture her now – settled up with her glass of vodka and soda water with a smirk crossing her face. She was never good at keeping a straight face when she tried to make fun of him.

He could see her eyes twinkling as her smirk slowly turned in to a grin. And then that belly laugh would slip from her lips.

Derek gripped his bottle of beer once more and shook the memory from his mind. It was taking everything he had to not envision her in his dorm room. They may have attended the same school, but she always preferred his Northwestern t-shirts. As a member of a travel team, he was sure to have plenty of NW gear at his beck and call.

But seeing Breezy in his mind – in only his t-shirt and a pair of booty shorts – made him contemplate what he was doing. Was there any chance for them, or did they spend the best of their years together in college?

Would she leave the man she moved across the country for? _It should have been me, _Derek thought darkly before draining the rest of his whiskey on the rocks. He tipped his chin towards the bartender to ask for another one as the liquid coursed through his veins.

_I should have never left without her, _he continued the conversation in his mind. He thanked the bartender as a new glass was placed in front of him.

"I'll have whatever he's drinking." Derek turned to his right and balked at the cascade of brown curls that flashed next to him. He sighed when the newcomer to the bar tucked her hair back behind her ear. "Hi," she offered. He would give her credit; her dazzling white smile and matching dark brown orbs were inviting, but she was definitely not the brunette he was thinking of. "My name is Amber."

Derek smirked. "Derek," he answered curtly. He could see the brunette's eyes glance towards the device lying on the bar top in front of him. He did his best to ignore how she had lifted her hand to shake his.

He had no interest in this woman. But as his eyes glanced to the table where Alvez sat with the blonde, it did not take a rocket scientist to figure out Amber had come from that table. Luke wanted alone time with the blonde occupying his night, but he was not in the mood to deal with the leftovers.

_I'm going to fucking kill him, _Derek thought to himself as Alvez shot a grin in his direction and lifted his bottle of beer. Derek tipped his chin in recognition, but knew his expression said anything but happiness.

"Someone is blowing up your phone tonight," she said as a soft laugh fell from her lips. Derek's eyes turned to the phone as it lit up once more with an incoming text message. He saw that there was a photo attached but pursed his lips when he noticed how intrigued the brunette next to him seemed. "Luke said you were single."

Derek fought to roll his eyes. "Did he now?" he answered, slightly intrigued.

He smirked when she took a sip of the amber liquid in her glass. Her lips pursed together as she struggled with the burn as it coursed down her throat. Derek was sure her eyes watered just a bit, too. "Mhmm," she answered, trying her best to cover her reaction to the drink. "And I couldn't believe it, so I wanted to find out for myself."

"I'm not looking," he answered sharply.

The brunette held up her hands and shrugged. Her eyes wandered back to his cell phone as it lit up once more in front of the pair. "Not looking, or not interested in any one but the girl texting you every five seconds?"

Derek reached for his cell phone and flipped it face down away from Amber's prying eyes. His hand traveled to his beer bottle. Instead of responding to her, he took a hearty sip from the bottle. "Quite frankly," he started as he placed the bottle back on top of the paper coaster, "it's none of your business. Like I said, I'm not looking."

Amber smirked. She pushed her glass of whiskey towards Derek and shrugged. "Your loss," she offered with a wink before slipping from the bar-stool next to him.

Derek sighed as he watched her saunter back towards the booth where she had left her friend and Luke. He took his time turning the cell phone back over and checking his messages.

Of the four new ones in his inbox, only one was from Breezy. The others had been from Penelope and his sister, Sarah. Those sat unopened as he clicked on the message train with Breezy.

He was not sure of how much time had passed since they started texting back and forth, but he chuckled at the photo she had sent him. Her glass was refilled and the bottle of Tito's was half empty. The shrug emoji she added was a perfect addition.

_Don't drink too much. I'm not there to help you in the morning, _he sent. On the off times that she did drink in college, she was quick to realize she drank too much. She would often stay at his dorm on those nights because he always took such good care of her the following morning.

_Wish you were, _came the quick reply from the other end. No emojis to say she was joking. No 'lol' at the end of her text. It seemed the more she drank, the looser her lips were becoming – or her fingers in this case.

Before he could answer, he was met with another photo coming in to their conversation. He knew the temps were dropping outside, and from the looks of the background of the photos she had sent, she was outside. But there she was; the bright smile crossing her lips was the first thing he noticed. And then his eyes glanced around the picture on his screen.

Her sweatshirt hung open on her shoulders and she wore only a tank top underneath the piece of clothing. A low cut tank top at that. _Breezy, don't be sending me mixed signals here. _

_Nothing mixed over here. Well, besides my drink. _

He shook his head at the text she sent back. Was it just the vodka talking, or was she being serious with him? He would never know by a text message. He would be able to tell if they were face to face, but for now, this was what he was stuck with.

Derek pursed his lips as his fingers ran across the screen of his cell phone. _Let's talk when we haven't been drinking. _

His thumb hovered over the send button as he reread his words. Without another thought, he hit send and placed his phone down on the bar top. He grabbed his beer and drained the bottle.

He was in no mood for her to be playing with his emotions. She knew how he felt, but he always felt behind with her lately. It was definitely a complicated situation; they never expected to run in to one another again.

When he left Chicago after finding out Breezy was no longer in town, he figured it was for the best. He wished that she would move on and forget all about him and what they had. But he never could. He could never settle down with anyone, no matter how hard he tried.

He forced his relationship with Savannah in hopes that it would eventually make him happy, but it didn't. Prolonging the relationship and moving in together only caused more problems.

He left Savannah just six months ago, and threw himself in to work. When he was not in the office or in the field, he was working on demoing a new acquisition. He was lucky to have a few houses open at the time, so he moved in to one that was in need of some repair.

Derek figured he never spent time at home anyways, so it was no issue with him that the remodel on that house was only half done. He worked on it when he couldn't sleep. The only time he slept well was after returning from some random woman's house.

But now, his thoughts were filled with Breezy. All day long. It was affecting him in more ways than he could count.

And now these text messages. She never texted him like that when she was sober.

Maybe being around her again was a good thing. He could finally break away from his Breanna Carmichael obsession once and for all.

-xx-

_Author's Note: My apologies for the delays recently. My oldest started kindergarten and our schedule has done a complete turnaround. Should be back to normal soon :) _


	17. Chapter 17

**Back to You**

**Chapter 17**

-xx-

Breezy sighed as she adjusted the fit of the waist on her spandex pants. Her head was pounding, but she needed to get her daily run in.

Eddie was still in dreamland when she stepped out of the bathroom after changing from her pajamas to her running clothes. She took a moment to slip her thumbs through the thumb holes at the end of her jacket.

It was the last thing she truly wanted to do, but she knew she needed to go out for a run. Not only did it make her feel better, but she took the time to clear her head. And there was a lot on her mind this morning.

After checking her cell phone, she cringed at the text conversation between her and Derek. Apparently those few drinks she decided to indulge in caused her to be a little too friendly in their texting.

_A drunk mind speaks the truth, _she thought to herself with a semi smile taking over her lips. She hadn't realized how honest that quote had been until now. And it scared her that she was able to cross that line without question – even if it was just via text.

Breezy started out of the bedroom and started downstairs. She grabbed her running sneakers when she got to the bottom of the stairs from their place next to the front door.

A sigh escaped her lips as she took a seat on the couch to slide her sneakers on. After tightening the laces, she proceeded to follow up her usual routine. She grabbed her iPod and ear buds.

She slipped them in and started up her jog playlist. Bree patted her hip to confirm her cell phone was in her pocket and zipped up. She grabbed her spare house key and slid it in to the small pocket on her waistband before starting out the door.

After double checking to make sure the townhouse was locked behind her, she started off on her most recent route. For the first few minutes, she focused on the feel of her feet hitting the cement beneath her as the lyrics sang in her ears.

And then it became clear that she could not run without the words from their conversation racing through her mind. _"Nothing mixed over here. Well, besides my drink." _Who the fuck did she think she was?

It was obviously the booze talking. She was never brazen enough to say that to his face. But as she ran, she struggled to figure out what it really meant. All she had done was send mixed signals.

Deep down, she could admit she harbored feelings for Derek, but she wasn't sure how deep that truly ran. Something always felt off with Eddie, but she was quick to assure herself it was not Derek's presence in the back of her mind.

It had been fourteen years since she had seen him; that was a lot of time. So much had changed for both of them in that time. She knew it was only a matter of time until Eddie put a timeline on when they should be married by.

Breezy shook her head and sighed as she glanced down at her watch. Keeping with her usual momentum, she smirked when she saw the coffee shop she had begun to frequent come in to view. It was just over a mile from the townhouse and the perfect place for her to stop every morning in the middle of her run.

She slowed to an easy jog as she neared the coffee shop. When she slipped in the door, she paused to pull her ear buds from her ear. She pulled her iPod from her pocket and pressed pause on the playlist.

"Good morning Bree." The brunette turned to the voice in question and smiled at the older Italian woman behind the counter. "You're early this morning."

She shrugged as she stepped up to the counter. "Good morning Miss Elena," she answered as she crouched down to peek in to the pastry case next to the register. "I couldn't sleep," she admitted as she caught the older woman scurrying behind the counter.

"Ah," she responded with a chuckle. "It's a good thing I open early."

The answer caused Bree to nod as she straightened her back when she stood upright. "That and no one makes coffee like you do." Bree caught the trickle of pink in Elena's cheeks at the compliment.

"You flatter me," she answered as she busied herself with working on Bree's coffee order. "Cornettis will be out momentarily."

It was as if Elena could read her mind. They were the most decadent croissant hybrid she had ever tasted and it was a reason why she was quick to return to the small shop. Her mouth watered at the mention of them.

"Those are my favorites too."

Bree found her breath caught in her throat as the voice behind her registered in her head. She slowly turned around on her heel and suddenly felt under-dressed in her running clothes as she took in the sight of Derek in front of her.

Her eyes must have given away the shock based off of the smile on Derek's face. "I'm not stalking you, Breezy," he offered softly. He held his hands up defensively a he started towards the counter. She pursed her lips together as she stepped out of his way so he could order.

Elena smiled as she turned around and saw Derek on the other side of the counter. "Agent Morgan," she said with a heartwarming grin. A grin that meant he was a regular; there was something in Elena's expression when a regular walked in the door. "The usual?"

He blushed as she called him by Agent. "Yes, please," he answered politely. The smile on his face grew as he spoke to the older woman. "And Elena."

Her nod cut him off. "I know," she said with an exasperated sigh. She waved at him with a towel from the counter in front of her. "Derek."

He nodded as she turned back to what she was doing. "How'd you find this place?" Bree asked softly. She was currently thankful that her voice was working at all.

Derek grinned as he rested his hip against the counter. "I live a few blocks over," he admitted. Instinctively, his head jutted in the direction he had come from. "One of my renovations."

"One of?" the brunette asked, genuinely interested. Her brow lifted to confirm her curiosity.

Derek nodded before gesturing to a small table. Breezy watched him warily as he shrugged and took a seat. His eyes lingered in her direction for a moment before glancing towards the open seat across from him. "I don't bite, Breezy."

Her tongue darted out of her lips to moisten her lower lip as she watched him. She could feel the temperature rising in the coffee shop, even though it was only in the high thirties outside.

Her fingers dangled around the zipper of her jacket, but she thought better of unzipping it. She would sit, drink her coffee and be on her way. It was the same routine she had every morning. Except for now Derek sat across from her.

"How long have you lived around here?" she asked quietly as she took the seat he offered. Her hands folded in her lap immediately and her eyes could not focus on the man across from her.

Derek sat up taller in his seat and smiled in her direction. "A few months," he answered shortly.

The shop was unusually quiet for a Saturday morning, specifically the last weekend before Christmas. During the week, it was packed from wall to wall. Elena had the best coffee in the area and it was worth getting up ten minutes earlier for.

Derek glanced at his watch and smirked. Quarter after five in the morning. _That would explain the lull, _he thought to himself. Elena opened at four am every morning, and he made sure to stop in on his way to the office.

"I have three properties in the area," Derek explained, breaking Bree from her stare down with the artwork on the wall across from her. She slowly turned back to face the man at the table with her. "I needed a quick place to move in to, so I holed up at my most recent acquisition."

She tried not to show the shock on her face, but with how early it was and how bad her headache was bothering her she knew her poker face was gone. "How many in total?"

Derek tapped on the table as he counted them out in his mind. "Fifteen at the last count," he said. The pair turned to Elena as she carried two fresh cups of coffee towards their table. The pair graciously accepted the hot java.

Breezy sighed contently after inhaling the scent of the coffee in her hands. Elena always procured the freshest and most potent coffee bean from Italy. She could feel her headache begin to dissipate with the first sip of caffeine. "Fifteen," Breezy repeated with a soft whistle. "Impressive."

Derek shrugged his shoulders. "I've bought at least one every year for the past ten years." His explanation caused her brow to lift in his direction. "I like restoring things, Breezy. And when something doesn't go my way in the field, it feels really good to swing a hammer."

Her lips danced in to a soft smile. She watched him intently. For a Saturday morning, he was dressed like he was prepared to head in to the office. The navy blue dress shirt complimented his skin color from beneath his dark charcoal suit jacket and pants.

"How come I've never seen you in here before?" The bluntness of her question caused Derek to purse his lips. He was expecting a question along those lines.

Instead of answering her, he took a sip of his coffee and let the warmth travel though his body. Not that he needed it, sitting across from Bree. "Not sure," he answered honestly. "I'm in here every morning when I'm not on the road."

Steely hazel eyes narrowed in his direction. She was thankful that she took the extra minute to completely erase her face of any leftover make up from the night before. But as she sat under his gaze, she felt not only under-dressed, but unprepared. Her hair sat in a messy bun at the top of her head and it was no doubt haphazard after the first mile of her run.

"Honest, Breezy," he continued. His finger traced the top of his coffee mug. "This has been my go-to since I moved out this way." Her lips curled together in to a tight line, though not too thin due to the plumpness of her lower lip. Derek gripped the side of his coffee cup, grateful for the heat radiating to his hand. "I could ask you the same thing. I've never seen you in here."

She scoffed. "You had no idea I was in the area until a few weeks ago."

Derek nodded. "Goes both ways," he reminded her. They were both equally as shocked to run in to each other at the Gala. Breezy expected him to move around the country like Eddie had for the past few years. "But I think I would have recognized you."

She felt small under his careful watch. Her eyes lowered to the table they sat at. "We're about a mile the other way." For some reason, she thumbed in the direction she had run that morning. "Even hung-over, I still like to get my run in."

Derek's eyes twinkled at the memory of their text conversation the night before. And just like that, all ideas of getting Breezy out of his system faltered. He could not shake her from his mind when she sat across a small table from him. "Did you indulge a bit too much last night?"

The loaded question hung between them like a spider web no one wanted to walk through. Breezy's eyes darted around the table. It was sparse of most things, with the exception of sugar packets and a napkin dispenser. "A bit," she answered. Her eyes lit up at her own words as she turned them back up towards Derek.

"I was surprised," he said honestly. Her eyebrows furrowed as she waited for him to continue. "There was no big celebration for his team coming back stateside?"

The laugh that escaped her lips took the two of them off guard. Bree could not answer immediately as Elena stepped back from around the counter. "Fresh cornettis," she boasted as she placed one plate down in between the two of them. Breezy did not miss the wink Elena sent in Derek's direction before retreating to the register to welcome customers as they walked in.

"They celebrate enough by themselves when they come home," Breezy answered as she pulled out a napkin and laid it on the table in front of her. She reached for the fluffy treat on the plate and pulled it apart. She inhaled the aroma as the steam hit her face. "We don't get invited," she followed up, mentioning the other members of the Wives Club.

Derek shook his head as he reached for his own cornetti. "I'm surprised he doesn't want to take his beautiful fiancé out to show off to the world." As the words registered to Breezy, she noticed his eyes glance down at her left hand.

Her lips pursed as their eyes met moments after. It was a matter of who was going to crack first, but she knew she had to explain. "I don't wear it when I run," she quickly covered the reasoning why her finger was bare.

"A huge diamond like that is a commodity," he continued for her. She nodded tensely. "Smart move, Breezy."

She shrugged away his compliment as she feasted on the treat in front of her. When the cornetti was gone, she focused on cleaning up the minuscule mess she had made of the table.

Derek sighed as he peeked at his watch once more. "I hate to cut this short," he started before realizing he was starting to trip over his own words.

"Work on a Saturday?"

He nodded. "Unfortunately." Derek took one last sip of his coffee before piling their cups and the plate together. He stood from his seat and brought everything over to the designated drop off area. Derek stopped to pay Elena – and pick up his to-go cup she had put together for him. "Rossi, Tara and I have a lecture this afternoon. I figured I'd catch up on some paperwork before that starts."

Breezy nodded as she stood from her seat. She reached for the cord of her ear buds and pulled her iPod from her pocket to start her playlist over again. "Thank you Elena," she called to the woman behind the counter and waved in her direction.

Elena waved the two of them off as they stepped out of the coffee shop. Breezy found herself rubbing her arms to ward off the cold. "I can give you a ride if you'd like?" Derek offered as he gestured towards his SUV.

The brunette shook her head. "No thanks," she answered with a smile crossing her lips. She glanced back from his vehicle to his chest at her eye level, and finally landing on his face. "I should finish my run."

Derek nodded as he shoved both hands in his pocket. He leaned back against the side of his SUV as he watched the brunette fumble with her iPod and headphones. "It was really good running in to you, Breezy."

"Yeah," she agreed with a nod. She turned to look up at the man in front of her. "And thanks for paying for the coffee." He nodded. "I should get going."

The black man fought back the sigh in his chest as he offered a tip of his chin. He pursed his lips together and held his coffee cup tighter as to not reach out for the brunette. "Maybe I'll catch you around here again," he offered, trying to lighten the awkward silence. "Or you can let me cash in on that dinner."

Breezy slipped one ear bud in and pursed her lips together. "After Christmas," she answered softly. She hoped her voice was quiet enough for him to not really hear her, but his nod confirmed that he did. "Thanks again," she said before slipping in the other ear bud.

She slowly backed away from his truck before pressing play on her iPod. Bree offered one glance over her shoulder before starting out on her run back to the townhouse.

-xx-


	18. Chapter 18

**Back to You**

**Chapter 18**

-xx-

Derek realized, on his way to the office, that he was not shy about watching the brunette run away from him. From the fit of the workout pants that seemed to be made for her, to the perfection that was her stride, Derek was stuck in his spot watching her.

He had no idea when or why she started going for morning runs. The Breezy he remembered hated mornings and absolutely despised having to wake up early. And yet here she was, just after five am out for a run. On a Saturday morning, no less. Like she had not had a single drink the night before, but he knew she almost finished off that bottle.

As he watched her make it around the corner, he started piecing together all of the things that have changed about Breezy since he last saw her. In college, she was never a big drinker, but he knew that was because she was determined in her studies.

She was not a fan of parties, but always went with him. Being on the football team meant hitting a lot of the parties around campus, but after a while it bored him. They spent more Friday nights in his dorm room watching stupid rom-coms than hanging out with his team.

Most times when they spoke or saw each other, Breezy had a drink in hand. She seemed to like to go out for a drink with her friend from work after a long day. Did that have something to do with the fiancée?

Derek shook his head when he realized that she was well on her way and slid in to his SUV. It took every ounce of effort he had in him to not follow her route when he turned out of the parking lot. Instead, he started towards the FBI headquarters at Quantico with more pep in his step than he had an hour before.

-xx-

Breezy locked the front door behind her as she slid in the doorway. Her senses filled with the aroma of coffee beans coming from the kitchen.

Hazel eyes brightened as she caught sight of Eddie's form walking around in the kitchen. She knew it was early, especially after a late night out with his buddies.

Bree toed off her sneakers next to the front door as she pulled her ear buds from her ears. She rested them over her shoulder as she pulled her iPod from her pocket to stop her music. "Breanna?"

She cleared her throat as she stepped through the living room en route to the kitchen. She propped herself against the large doorframe as she watched him at the counter trying his best to operate the coffee machine. "Hey," she offered softly.

Her lip slid in between her teeth as she anxiously awaited him turning to face her. She could always tell what mood he was in by his facial expressions, and this morning she was pleased to see a smile cross his lips when he turned to her. "How was your run?"

His eyes seemed clear and he was clean shaven. "Uneventful," she answered in a quiet tone. She pulled her thumbs from the thumb holes on her track jacket as she crossed in to the kitchen. "Coffee maker giving you a hard time?"

The humor in her voice caused his eyes to crinkle at the edges when his smile brightened. "I don't know how you use this stupid thing."

Bree shrugged. It had been a Christmas gift from his parents just the year before, but it was not used nearly as often as the Keurig at her office. And finding Elena's coffee shop only furthered her disdain for the technologically advanced coffee maker.

The brunette forced a smile when they opened the package on video chat with his parents. She could have found a million other ways to spend close to five hundred dollars than on a damn coffee pot. A twenty dollar one at Wal-Mart would do the same thing, and it was much easier to operate.

"I only know how to brew a fresh pot," she answered meekly. It was not for lack of trying. She had spent many weekend mornings trying to figure out the contraption, but she struggled to get through it all. "It's a little too sophisticated for me."

Eddie chuckled as he watched her fingers fly across the touch screen. She reached for the open bag of coffee beans that she smelled on the way in and went to work making a fresh pot of coffee. "You seem to know what you're doing," he complimented before dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

Breezy turned her head just slightly to grin up at the man next to her. Compliments were few and far between, and most times she had to read between the lines to find one. Her head was still spinning after running in to Derek at the coffee shop, making it tough to stay in the moment.

Once the coffee was starting to drip in to the coffee pot, she pushed back from the counter. "It should be done in a few minutes," she pointed out. "I'm going to hop in the shower."

Eddie nodded, but stopped her in her tracks when he wrapped his arms around her waist. Bree fought the smile tugging at her lips at the action. "Thank you," he said softly; she was almost thinking she imagined him saying it due to his voice being so low. "I know things have been a bit tough around here."

His voice trailed off, leaving Bree to fill in the blanks for herself. A shrug of the shoulders was her only response as her lips pursed together. Every word on the tip of her tongue seemed like a lie. _Its fine, _she scoffed mentally. _No, its not. Nothing has been fine. _

"And I hate to have to do this," he said with a sigh, causing her eyes to wander up his frame towards his face. "But we're getting called back out on Tuesday."

Breezy fought to contain the emotion crossing her face. On one hand, this was where most of their problems started. And on the other, she was free for a few days when he was not home.

She narrowed her eyes as she thought about the days in her head. "That's Christmas Eve," she pointed out. Slowly she backed in his hold until he sighed and let his arms drop from her waist.

He nodded before running a hand over his dark brown hair. "I know Bree," he said with a shake of his head. "It's not ideal."

Her lips curled together as she fought a laugh. "Not ideal?" Bree rolled her eyes and planted a hand to her hip. She forced a deep breath in to her lungs to calm down. "You do realize we have not spent one holiday together since you got this promotion, right?"

Eddie nodded once more as he rested back against the kitchen counter. The pair turned their eyes to the coffee maker as it signaled it was inished brewing. "Do you think I want to spend Christmas in a fucking war zone, Breanna?"

_And there it is, _she thought to herself. She bit down on her tongue to keep her thoughts at bay regarding his attitude changes. Bree struggled to not roll her eyes at the mention of 'war zone.' In his mind, the entire country of Afghanistan was a war zone, and she needed to know he was struggling over there.

_Struggling my ass, _she continued mentally. "We had a few things we were working on over here, and it seems like they're paying off. We have to move quickly on them. Tuesday is the earliest we can head over." His explanation fell on deaf ears as she thrust a hand in to the pocket of her running pants.

Bree nodded as she tucked a stray hair back in to her messy bun. She forced down her emotion and tried to prevail with a tight lipped smile. "Its fine," she said, using her common phrase with Eddie. A nod only confirmed her words. "I'll figure something out around here. Ya know – keep myself occupied."

Eddie's lips curled in to a smile. "Originally we had been invited to Carrie and Xander's for Christmas Eve," he explained. Bree continued to tighten her lips together to not slip. "And she's going to still have the party, but I figured you may want to spend some time with your mom."

He fumbled around with the stack of papers on the counter until he found the one he had been looking for. Eddie handed the few sheets to Breezy, who took them cautiously. Her eyebrow went up as she read the words in front of her. "You bought me a plane ticket to go home?"

"Well, home is here," he quickly corrected her. She shrugged his words away. "But yeah," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You haven't been back to see your mom in a while, and this way you won't be alone for Christmas."

Breezy tore her eyes from the papers in her hand and placed them on the counter. She bounded in to Eddie's awaiting arms. "Thank you," she sighed against his neck. "This is a great surprise."

Eddie nodded before holding her away from his body. His smile never met his eyes when the pair locked their gaze on each other. He pressed a chaste kiss against her lips. "I figured your office was closed for the week, so it wouldn't hurt to get some time in Chicago."

Bree fought the smile tingling her lips at the mention of where she grew up. Instead, she nodded hastily. "It'll be really good to see my mom," she offered, fighting the emotion in her throat. Where it had come from, she was not too sure.

On one hand, it had been months since she had last seen her mother and older brother. Her heart rate quickened at the thought of seeing her two nephews and young niece. With all of the moving they had been doing over the past two years, she figured it had been about that long since she got back to Chicago.

"Thank you," she mumbled against before pushing up on her tip-toes to peck his lips. Eddie nodded and dropped his hands from her waist. Her lips pursed together as she started to back out of the kitchen. "I'm hopping in the shower."

Eddie turned to the doorway and nodded before focusing back on the coffee maker. It was nearing its completion as he reached in to the cabinet above it to pull out a coffee cup.

Bree could not fight the smile crossing her lips as she ascended the staircase. A Christmas in Chicago was exactly what she needed to clear her mind.

-xx-


	19. Chapter 19

**Back to You**

**Chapter 19**

-xx-

Breezy looked up from her cup of coffee and let out a sigh. She could hear her only niece in the living room enthralling her mother with a story about kindergarten. The boys were oddly quiet as they played on their iPads in the dining room.

Michael, her older brother, had stopped by their mother's house so his wife could finish her last minute Christmas errands in peace. Bree had offered to come and help wrap and hide things for Santa's arrival later tonight, but her sister-in-law graciously declined the offer.

So there she sat. At the table in the kitchen, by herself, in her own little world. Mike was on the back porch smoking a cigarette and their mother was being entertained by the young five year old in the living room. Ella was currently winning the older woman over with stories of what they had done in school before winter break.

Breezy tapped her nails across the kitchen table. It was the same table they had growing up. Most of the house had been untouched, even after their father passed away over ten years before.

Her mind wandered back to those days. The days before her father's diagnosis. Her college days to be particular. She was had been so excited to bring Derek back to the house when they were on winter break.

Cheryl, her mother, had been quick to welcome her daughter's boyfriend in to the fold. Michael Senior was less than thrilled with the boy she had brought home. Over the long weekend Derek spent at the house, he spent most of his time trying to impress his girlfriend's father.

And it seemed to have worked. After a few months and sticking to a schedule of making it home for Sunday dinner at least once a month, Michael accepted Derek in to the family. It had been tough for him to let up the reigns of being the only man in his daughter's life, but he could see how happy Derek made her.

Until he left. Breezy was just about to graduate when Derek got his offer to head to Quantico. All he had talked about since joining the CPD had been moving up to the FBI.

Bree had been the one to push him to go. It was only a few months until she graduated, and once she got a job set up in Virginia, she would join him. But then the offers never came in that area and Derek never talked her in to coming out that way.

Her father was the one who explained it would all be for the best. "_Everything will work out how it's supposed to, Breanna," he urged as he placed his larger hand on top of her two. "I promise you. If you're meant to be together, it will happen." _

Her eyes turned to the seat at the four person table where her father was found every morning reading his newspaper as he drank his coffee. No one dared sit in that seat since he passed. The newspaper from the day he passed sat in front of his seat for close to a week.

She had shared a pot of coffee with him that morning as he read her articles from the newspaper. They knew the end was near, and he wanted to be at home with his family. Junior was spending all of his free time at his parent's house and Bree had given up her apartment to move in to help take care of her father.

She grimaced when she noticed her nails had dug in to her palms as the memories rushed through her mind. Bree let go of her coffee cup and tried to sooth the pain in her hand by rubbing circles with her thumb against the hurting skin. The crescent shaped outlines were a reminder that she could not change the past.

Bree jostled in her seat when her cell phone lit up in front of her. Her lips pursed together to contain her smile when she read who it was from. _Didn't see you this morning. Hope you had a great run. _

_I did, _she typed, trying her best to contain her excitement. _A quick jog through Richmond Byrd gets the blood flowing first thing in the morning. _

She hit send on the message before picking up her coffee cup and taking a hearty sip of the warm liquid. She watched her brother through the windows overlooking the backyard. A ping of guilt hit her as she realized that her brother was around to help their mom, but she was off in another state.

_Getaway for Christmas? _He asked in his text reply.

Breezy reread the words as she tried to think of an answer that was not as direct as she originally thought. _E went back to Afghanistan. I'm home visiting the fam. _She added a smiley face for an added effect.

_Great minds think alike. _Her eyes scanned the words once more.

"What's that look for?" Mike asked as he stepped in to the kitchen. Breezy sat at the table with her mouth hanging open as she reread his message for a third time. "Everything okay with Eddie?"

Her eyes narrowed at the illuminating screen at the mention of her fiancé. It sounded sour leaving her brother's lips. Bree forced her mouth closed and tried her best to cover her expression. "He's fine," she answered hastily.

Her brother slid in to the chair across from her – his usual seat from their childhood – and sighed. "What's going on Bree?" Her eyes snapped up to the brunet sitting across from her. His kind eyes were a striking resemblance to their fathers and as he got older, he started to look like the man they both missed dearly. "Ed didn't come visit with you, and you've been in a mood since you got here."

She pursed her lips together. It may have been two years since she had been home, but he could read her like a book. "We're just going through some shit right now," she offered, hoping it would nip the conversation in the bud. The look on her brother's face told her their conversation was far from over. "I don't know, Mikey. Things are just weird right now."

"Weird how?" he continued to pester. They had always been close, and got closer when their father was sick. But when Breezy moved out of the state a month after their father died, they lost contact for a while. He understood that she needed to clear her mind. "You know you can tell me anything."

She nodded; she slipped her bangs behind her ear as her shoulders slumped. She reread the screen in front of her. No new messages had come through. "Promise you won't tell anyone?" He nodded and held up his hand with his pinky sticking up. Bree grinned as she slipped her own pinky finger around his. It had been their way of confirming a promise growing up. "I don't think I want to get married."

"At all or just to Eddie?" She had to give him credit; he knew her better than she knew herself. "Because fifteen years ago, you were determined to get married."

Bree nodded and sighed. "And you swore up and down that you would never venture into married bliss," she shot back. He knew he struck a nerve when he noticed how agitated she became at the near mention of Derek. "Yet, here you are – ten years and three kids later."

"Thirteen years," he reminded her. Their original date had been pushed up after Michael Senior's diagnosis. There was no way Junior was getting married without his father at his wedding. "But enough about me. What's up with you?"

Breezy rested her forearms on the table in front of her and let her head hang for a moment. "I'm just sick of being pulled in a million different directions," she unleashed the words on her brother. His expression never faltered. "My life has done a complete turn since I met him. And it was great – really great – for a while."

"But you feel like you can't settle down?" Mikey filled in the blanks for her. When she pursed her lips, he knew he was right. "I know you ran from here to find security, Bree," he explained to her. Her eyes softened in his direction. "And I can tell that you don't feel like you've found that."

A soft laugh escaped her lips. She was an open book to her older brother because he always gave her the best advice. "He's never home," she admitted as she ran a hand through her brown locks. Her head hung at the admission. "He's either in the office or across the ocean with his team. And when he's actually in Virginia, he's with his team."

"And not with you?"

She shook her head. "One of the things I love about being with Eddie is actually _being _with him." A sigh escaped her pink lips. "But it's all about getting this promotion or getting that case solved. And I don't know if I can deal with it all anymore."

Mikey nodded as he ran a hand over his short brown hair. His hand rested on the back of his neck as he considered what his sister was telling him. "Do you think it's worth explaining that to him?" When her shoulders slumped, he smirked. "You need to talk to him Bree. Let him know what you're thinking."

She nodded as her fingers fiddled with the engagement ring on her left hand. She knew it was a cop out; explaining that she felt like she could not make things permanent in their current location and situation. But she could not shake the nagging voice in the back of her mind reminding her that everything happens for a reason.

-xx-


	20. Chapter 20

**Back to You**

**Chapter 20**

-xx-

Bree fixed the shoulder of her oversized sweater as she stepped through the front doors of a local Chinese food restaurant. Most businesses were closed to celebrate Christmas, but this had always been their stand by for a date after a day with their families.

Fortune Dragon not only had the best food in town, but their mai-tais were for the history books. And when Derek offered her a chance to cash in on that dinner request, she jumped at the opportunity to hit their old stomping grounds.

Her hands ran over the front of the navy sweater that hung from her petite frame and paired nicely with distressed jeans and knee high boots. For once the temperatures in Chicago were not absolutely horrendous at Christmas and she was able to make her way to the restaurant in only a few layers.

Her breath caught in her throat as she took in Derek as he sat at the bar. She gripped the jacket she had removed after stepping through the door as she started towards the man in question.

How he was able to make a tee shirt and jeans look so delectable, she was not sure – but she was certainly not complaining. The black material stretched across his shoulders and stopped on his biceps just above the tattoo adorning his left arm.

A smirk crossed her lips as she remembered sitting up with him to sketch out the lettering on his arm. Her nose stung at the memory of the cleaning solution used in the tattoo parlor when she had accompanied him to get that exact piece done.

"There she is." His voice broke her from her reverie. Instead of showing that his voice startled her, she plastered a smile to her face. "I was thinking you got lost."

Breezy shook her head. Her top knot bobbed with the motion as she tucked her bangs back behind her ear. "I haven't been here in a few years," she admitted. She slung her jacket over the back of her chair and placed her small wallet on the bar top in front of her. "But I don't think I could ever get lost coming back here."

Her words cause a smile to cross Derek's lips. "We spent quite a few nights here," he added, causing Breezy's head to nod. "Some really good nights, Breezy."

She pursed her lips at the words that dribbled from his mouth. Instead of answering with the words burning the tip of her tongue, Bree slid on to the seat next to Derek at the bar. She reached for the drink menu to escape his careful watch from next to her.

"Hasn't changed," he said with a laugh as he gestured to the tattered laminate in her hands. She tried to steady her breathing as she could feel the closeness between the two of them. They were adults; this was just a dinner between two old friends.

But when she turned to face the man to her right, she knew that was complete and utter bullshit. Derek casually threw his arm over the back of her seat; her lips parted just enough to let him know he elicited the reaction. "Guess I'll stick with my usual then," she said as an unsteady chuckle escaped her lips.

"White mai tai," he said with a content sigh at the end of his words. He nodded to the bartender across the bar. Their chairs were close enough together at the bar that their thighs almost touched. It was killing Derek to be so close to the brunette without being able to _be _that close. "Some things never change, Bree."

Her shoulders shrugged as she placed the laminated menu back on the bar top. She could feel the heat reflecting off of his arm behind her as she sat back in her seat. "But some do," she answered softly. She slowly turned to take in the man sitting next to her. "Fourteen years is a long time, D."

His eyes softened at the use of his first initial. She always said his name was tough to come up with a nickname for so she usually settled for the first letter of his name. "I know it is, Breezy," he said, being sure to use her nickname in return. "And I know there's a lot that's happened in that time."

"I can't just dump my fiancé, Derek," she cut him off with a lifted hand in his direction. She smiled politely as the bartender placed her drink on a coaster in front of her. Bree took a hearty sip to settle the butterflies in her belly. "But I would be lying if I said leaving wasn't on my mind."

She bit on the inside of her lip as she watched her words react across Derek's face. His eyes lit up and she could see his lips twitch with a smile.

"That doesn't mean that it's for us," she indicated between the two of them. She let her shoulders sag as she rested back against his arm. "Three weeks ago, I was convinced I would never see you again. If I leave Eddie, that's on me, Derek. I need to make that decision by myself."

Derek took a long sip of the drink in front of him on the bar top. For once in his life, he was rendered speechless as he knew he needed to let Bree bare it all.

She sighed as she tucked her bangs behind her ear. "We were just kids, Derek," she said as her face dropped when she turned to him. "A lot has changed since we left Northwestern."

"And a lot hasn't changed," he bargained as he placed a hand on top of hers as it sat on the bar. "Seeing you at that Gala reinforced how much of an idiot I was, Breezy."

Her eyes focused on their hands. "We both were," she filled in for him. Her chin tucked to her shoulder with a shrug. "Maybe I should have followed you to Virginia," she let the words hang in the air as she licked her lips. "But we'll never know."

Derek shook his head as he removed his arm from the back of her chair and turned to face her head on. "We lost those years," he agreed with a nod. "But that doesn't mean we need to lose the future, too."

Bree pursed her lips as she forced a deep breath in to her lungs. "If," she stated boldly, being sure to lock eyes with Derek, "I were to leave Eddie, it does not mean I'm jumping right back in to your arms."

A glimmer of hope crossed his face at the mere mention of her leaving her fiancé. "I'll just have to court you like I did back in school," he said with a wink in her direction.

Breezy rolled her eyes at the wink. "We're two completely different people than who we were in college."

"And yet, just like in college," he said as he leaned towards the brunette. He smirked when he noticed a sharp breath escape her lips at the closeness. "I can't get you out of my head, Breezy."

His words were a whisper against her cheek. Derek could see her take a deep breath as his cheek rested against hers. "Derek," she sighed. Her voice was soft as she felt his hand rest on her thigh.

"Are you the same person you were in college? No," he said as he watched her eyes flutter shut as his breath tickled her skin. "It's a good thing I'd much prefer the _woman _sitting in front of me right now."

His lips curled in to a smile as he felt Bree nudge his head to the side. Even with her eyes closed, she was able to jut her chin just enough to find his lips with hers. Derek's hand slid from her thigh to the back of her neck to hold her close to him.

She tilted her head, giving him more access to her mouth. Her lips parted, allowing him access to the inside of her mouth. The years seemed to fly away as she lost herself in his firm but caring hold.

Bree slid her hand out from underneath Derek's on the bar top and laced her fingers around his. Her other hand settled against his jean clad leg; her nails ran across his leg causing his lips to break in to a smile.

Derek slowly pulled back from the brunette and found himself lost in the shy smile crossing her soft pink lips. "Breezy," he sighed. She had yet to open her eyes, but her fingers tightened their grip on his hand. "Look at me, Bree," he urged.

Her eyes slowly opened; in them he saw the array of emotions rattling her brain. "I shouldn't have done that," she muttered. Slowly she turned her gaze to the man in front of her. "Tell me I shouldn't have done that."

Her request fell on deaf ears as he shook his head. "You know I can't do that, Breezy."

"Derek," she pleaded as his eyes locked on her hazel orbs. "We both know this is wrong."

He nodded solemnly. "It is," he agreed but shrugged. "But it's us, Breezy. Nothing has ever been stronger than us."

She licked her lips as her eyes slowly turned to their hands. Gently, she pulled her hand out from underneath his. It was unspoken between the two of them, but Derek had noticed the obnoxiously large diamond that normally sat on her finger was not there. On her right hand sat the ring Derek had given her years before.

"You wouldn't be wearing that," he gestured to her right hand, "if there was nothing here," he pointed between the two of them.

Bree sighed as she ran a hand over the top of her head; she successfully flattened any fly-aways in her hair, but expressed her anxiety in the situation with the same action. "We're not who we once were."

Derek nodded. "We're better than we were, Breezy." _Better together, _he fought to not slip from his lips. He knew she was giving him a small piece of rope here, and he was not about to fuck it all up. "Can I ask you something?" She turned back towards him with furrowed brows. She tipped her head in a nod. "Can we feel this out? Here? Before we fly back home."

Her lips tightened in a hard line as she tried to understand where he was coming from. She knew they were both different people than when they were together in college, but had she really changed that much? Sure, she had put up walls.

Losing her dad and venturing out in to the big world by herself helped to build those walls. She had been lonely when she let Eddie start to knock them down.

And then his promotion came; everything changed because it was all about him now. She was an afterthought. Of course she would move all over the country with him; he never expected her to say no to him. Whether it was renting the house they were currently in, or moving for a second time in one year – Breanna would always make it work.

But here she was with an out. She had the opportunity to rekindle what she once lost. Her father dying had been the final straw. Losing Derek had been the biggest hit to her heart.

Her father's words echoed in her ears, _"If you're meant to be together, it will happen."_ Here was her second chance. The universe was pushing them together; all she had to do was take that last step off of the roof and on to the tight rope.

"Okay." Her voice was barely above a muttered whisper, but it seemed to Derek as though she screamed it for him to hear.

-xx-

a/n: where is everyone? still loving this story?


	21. Chapter 21

**Back to You**

**Chapter 21**

-xx-

Derek rubbed his hands together; partially due to the chill in the air but mostly because his nerves were eating at his entire body. They indulged in a few more drinks the night before as well as split some plates of Chinese food.

Derek had driven the brunette home around midnight. She knew he was taking the long way to her mother's house but she enjoyed the scenic route as they viewed Christmas lights that were going to shut off as the holiday wound to an end.

They reminisced on the college days when Derek would drop Bree off before heading to his mom's house. Derek made sure to walk Breezy to the front door when he dropped her off the night before. And he found himself lost in the smile on her face when he kissed her goodnight.

He knew it was wrong; she was another man's fiancée. But just like when he was nineteen years old, he could not keep his mind off of the entrancing brunette with the most beautiful hazel eyes. Those eyes haunted his dreams for the past fourteen years but he was going to make sure he didn't screw up this second chance.

He strained over each long finger of his right hand as he cracked each knuckle. When they would run in to each other, or like last night, meet up for dinner and drinks, it all seemed so easy and natural. But standing on her mother's front porch, a place where he had not been in almost fifteen years, was daunting.

What if she ignored the ringing of the doorbell? Or worse – they realized this just wouldn't work when they were back in the 'real world.'

And then the terrifying thoughts crossed his mind. What if Breezy was not planning to leave Eddie?

Everything they were doing in Chicago would be for nothing. His proclamations in the car the night before would be meaningless. And that hole in his heart would open up once more.

He balked when the door opened in front of him. "Love you too," Breezy called back in to the modest single family home. She smiled when her mother blew her a kiss from the sitting room closest to the front door. "I will," she promised to something Derek was not apt to hear.

Derek stepped back as the brunette slid through the heavy front door. She slid her copy of the key to her mother's house in to the pocket of the wallet she wore around her wrist.

"I didn't want you to freeze out here any longer," the brunette started with a smile as she double checked that the door locked behind her. "Figured you paced back and forth enough without knocking."

The sheepish smile crossing Derek's lips did not go unnoticed by Breezy.

"Do I make you nervous?" the brunette asked. Derek smirked; she was full of vinegar tonight. It made him relax though. The old Breezy was starting to come back through. His Breezy.

"Never," he said with a chuckle as he leaned forward to peck her on the cheek. Her lips settled in a smile as she gestured towards the front steps. "Just lost in my own thoughts," he assured her as he watched to make sure she made it down the steps without an issue.

Breezy took a sharp intake of air as they reached his rental car. She had teased him the night before about not taking his mother's car as she had since she arrived in Chicago a few days before. _"I like having my own ride," he said confidently. _Even in their mid-thirties, they were not up to being strapped for time because their mothers needed the car back.

Her eyes twinkled as Derek opened the passenger side door for her. She rested her forearms on the top of the door to the sedan as she watched the man in front of her. Derek never once faltered in his steps as she caught his attention. "What kind of thoughts?" she asked softly.

Derek forced himself to hear past the potential seduction in her tone. "Nothing to worry about," he answered nonchalantly. His mind was running a mile a minute about the what-ifs that caused him to lose sleep the night before.

A brow lifted as she watched Derek lie to her face. Even after fourteen years, she could still read him clearly. "That's some bull if I've ever heard it," she bartered as she watched his reaction. "But if you'd like to keep pretending that everything is fine and dandy, we can do that too."

Derek smirked; she was always the first to call him on his shit. Instead of retorting, Derek silenced her with a quick peck to her lips. She shook her head at the smirk crossing his lips as he gestured for her to take a seat inside the car.

Breezy took a seat and quickly went to work with her seat-belt as Derek closed the door for her. He took his time walking around to the other side. One last deep breath escaped his lips before he climbed in behind the steering wheel.

Bree cast one glance to the driver's seat and pursed her lips to keep them closed tightly. She could always see Derek differently than every one else; he was trying his best not to ask the questions burning his tongue. "What's going through your head?" she asked softly, trying to only raise her voice a tad over the radio.

Derek reached for the volume and turned it down. "Nothing," he offered. She watched as he plastered a smile to his face when he turned to her. The narrowed eyes looking back at him made him realize she could see right though him. "It's nothing, Breezy."

With a roll of her hazel eyes, she turned away from the black man in the driver's seat. "Whatever you say, Derek," she said hastily as she focused her attention out the window as he pulled away from the curb.

It was a quick but quiet drive to the bar Derek had intended for the two of them to head to. Another stop on their list of hitting all of their old haunts when they were in town. From her parent's house, it was only a ten minute drive tops, so it was close enough for them to get to and from.

Breezy did not wait for Derek to come around the car to open her door. She stood in front of the car and waited for him; her lips were set in a tight line and her arms were crossed over her chest.

Derek bowed his head as he stepped in front of the brunette. He placed a hand to both of her hips as he lifted his own face to meet hers. "I'm making a bigger deal about this than I should," Derek offered softly. "I have too much going on in my head right now to think straight."

Once again, her eyes narrowed in his direction. With the help of her heeled boots she was not much shorter than he was. "What do you mean? About us?" The shrug his shoulder offered caused the brunette to lick her lips as she thought about what she was going to say next. She placed her hands on top of his. With a sigh, she removed them from her waist. "Right now, there is no _us_," she softly explained.

It was Derek's turn to furrow his expression to the woman in front of him. "What's that supposed to mean, Breezy?"

She tilted her head to the side to escape Derek's gaze. His closeness was causing her thoughts to jumble as she peeked towards the front door of the bar they were visiting tonight. "I'm technically engaged," she reminded him. "I need to clear that before I move forward with _anything _else in my life."

He nodded then pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. "Loud and clear," he mumbled against her skin causing goose bumps to slowly rise on the back of her neck.

"Hey," she muttered as he pulled away. Deep brown eyes cast a downward glance towards her. "Things work out the way they're supposed to."

It was her take on what her father had told her years before. "You sound so sure of that," he offered as he fell in step behind Breezy as she started towards the bar.

His arms went out cautiously as she turned on her heel to smile in his direction. "What you said before," she started with a shrug of her shoulders, "about coincidences? Maybe there's something to that after all."

She winked in his direction before stepping away from him and towards the bar, leaving Derek in his spot shaking his head.

-xx-


	22. Chapter 22

**Back to You**

**Chapter 22**

-xx-

For the past few years, Derek made the trip back to Chicago to not only visit with his family for the holidays, but to catch up with friends from college. There was an unofficial Northwestern reunion on the night of Boxing Day. Several friends that they hung out with during their college days ventured to Champions Bar and Grille for a get together.

No one ever knew who was really going to show up; some years, Derek had gotten called back to Quantico for a case that needed immediate attention. Breezy had made it back a time or two, but subsequently when Derek was not able to attend the reunion.

Derek turned his attention from the change on the bar top in front of him to take in the room as a whole. It had become bigger than their first few years. Spouses joined in on the reunion as well as graduates from other years.

The black man smirked when he caught site of Breezy standing at a high top with two bubbly blondes. Taylor James and Melody Hastings; also known as her two roommates from college. Their fourth roomie never made it to these events and had slowly stepped away from the quad.

He knew Breezy felt his careful gaze as she stood straighter and not bothering to fix the cream colored sweater dress that clung to her body in all the right spots. He was not going to interrupt the three women; it had been a while since Breezy was back in Chicago she had told him over dinner the night before. She had spoken with Taylor and Mel often via text and Facebook, but it had been quite some time since the three were in the same room.

Mel's boisterous laugh caused a few people to turn in their direction. Derek only shook his head. When those three got together, trouble usually followed. He could not count the number of times they showed up to the football stadium and caused a ruckus in the stands.

He was going to keep his distance. It was hard enough to meet up with their friends the first time he came back to Chicago for Christmas. All night people asked where Bree was and it killed him to mention they were no longer together. And he had no idea where she ended up.

That was until he stood next to her at the Gala just a few weeks ago. And then things went in to overdrive from that night. He could not get Breanna Carmichael out of his mind if he tried. The night before only proved that he was not the only one interested. Breezy kissing him flipped his thoughts on a dime.

"Derek Morgan," he heard from the spot next to him. He turned just in time to see a teammate from football step up next to him. "It's been a while, man," Evan offered as he held out a hand for Derek to shake.

Derek transferred his beer to the other hand and shook his friend's hand. "Good to see you, Ev," he offered softly before slipping his hand in to the pocket of his jeans. "How's life?"

A shrug from the shaggy blonde caused them both to laugh. "Busy," he answered before taking a sip from the beer bottle in his hand. "Ex-wife is on my ass on the time, and the kiddo keeps us busy." Derek nodded as he bit the inside of his lip. That was what he was constantly hearing at these types of events. "What about you? I didn't see anyone here with you."

Derek smirked. "Solo," he answered suavely. "I'm married to the job." Short and to the point; Evan only nodded.

"Did you see Breanna Carmichael is here?" he asked. Derek knew better than to try to play nonchalant about it. Of course people were going to say something about the two of them being in the same room for the first time since college. Evan ran a hand over his mouth and sighed. "She's only gotten better looking since graduation."

In his pocket, Derek could feel his fingers itch to make a fist but they were restricted due to the fabric. "She's always been beautiful," he answered, his voice just a little harsher than he meant to. A brow lifted in his friend's direction as he watched Evan purse his lips. "Sorry man," Derek offered. "This is the first time I've seen her since," he left the words to linger between them.

"Right," Evan answered with a nod, causing his blonde locks to wave behind his head. "Gotcha. Bet that rock on her hand doesn't help either." He reached across to pat the black man on his bicep, letting his words hang in the air. "It's good to see you."

Derek nodded and watched as Evan ducked his head and darted away from him. He started back towards the table where several guys he played football with were seated. One last look in Breezy's direction was all he allowed himself.

-xx-

"Derek Morgan is a looker," Taylor stated as she poured herself a refill from the pitcher of beer on their table. She adjusted herself on the seat before taking a hearty sip. "How did you ever walk away from that, Bree?"

The lone brunette pulled her lip between her teeth as she peeked cautiously over her shoulder to where Derek sat. In the group he was in, he seemed to fit in perfectly. Those bright white teeth shone boldly with every laugh that escaped his lips. The same chocolate brown orbs that watched her so intently under the dim light of her mother's front porch twinkled as stories became more animated.

But never once did he look in her direction.

Breezy reached down to adjust the brown knee high boots she wore with her sweater dress and sighed. He had not even flashed a single look in her direction. "Must be weird," Melody chimed in as she ran a finger around the rim of her cosmopolitan. "Being in the same room as him. After what? Fifteen years."

A shrug lifted and dropped with Breezy's shoulder as she gripped her beer glass a little tighter. It was not her drink of choice, but when Taylor started towards the table with a pitcher, she knew she could force herself to enjoy a glass or two. "It's good to see him," she offered, trying her best to play along. "It's been a long time, though."

Taylor nodded, her blonde curls bouncing with every word. She had the tighter curls that accented her personality perfectly. "We've seen him a few times over the years," she let slip. Tay reached across the table and placed her hand on top of her friend's. "He always asks about you."

The sincerity dripping from her soft blue eyes caused Breezy to smile. Breezy knew this reunion of sorts happened with or without her, and her girlfriends were always quick to send her updates via text on these nights. There was something about being in the same barroom as the rest of their friends that made her wish she could go back fifteen years.

Where would they be today if she took the leap to join him as soon as she graduated? If she didn't sit back and twiddle her thumbs and wait for him to reach out. _If I had a fucking backbone, _she thought to herself.

She could feel her lips tingle from all of the laughing and smiling she had done tonight. They had taken way too many pictures in the hour since she arrived at the bar, and proceeded to walk in minutes after Derek did. Her girlfriends were quick to ooh and ahh over the engagement ring that sat on her finger. She knew if it was not seen in pictures, Eddie would lose his mind over it.

Instead, the platinum band felt like it was burning her skin as she felt a pair of eyes on her back. Derek had gotten up and walked to the bar in the time she spent talking with her friends. She did not have to turn around; Melody's eyes followed the black man across the room as she tucked her platinum blonde locks behind her ear.

"Evan Scott," Melody sighed the three syllables. "Speaking of handsome."

A roll of hazel eyes caused Taylor to laugh. "You're swooning," Breezy offered, thankful that the spotlight had been removed from her momentarily. "How long has it been, Mel?"

Melody lifted her brow in her friend's direction, only to receive a pointed look. "Six months," she answered, her normally loud voice was above a whisper. "He thought we should be seeing other people."

Bree shook her head before taking a sip of her beer. She fought the scowl that nibbled at her lips at the drink in her hand. "You're obviously not over it, no matter how many times you tell us that you are."

"Lying via text is just wrong," Taylor added. "We're not there to call you on your bullshit."

Bree nodded in agreement. Melody sighed as she realized they were both right. "Evan and I have been talking recently," she informed her friends. "We'll see where it goes. The ex-Mrs. Scott was having a bitch fit about us dating."

Breezy offered a tight lipped smile to her friend. "Let us know." It sounded like a suggestion, but she knew her two former roommates wanted all of the details as soon as they happened. A nod confirmed that she would.

"Don't look now," Taylor said in a soft sing-song voice before taking a sip of her beer. Her eyes twinkled as she watched a figure step towards their table. Bree could feel Derek behind her before she even turned around.

The bar was starting to fill up; it was almost impossible to see the table where Derek had come from just minutes before. "Ladies." Bree found herself catching her breath at the deep baritone.

"Derek," Taylor greeted for the table. Her simple smile lit up her face. "So good to see you."

Derek nodded in response. Out of sight of the two blondes across the table from them, Derek placed a hand to the small of Bree's back. She fought to not let her breath hitch her in throat; it was not the first time in recent memory that Derek's hands had been on her body, but where she was not letting any one know they had seen quite a bit of each other lately, it was more of playing the part.

Her tongue darted from her mouth to moisten her suddenly dry lips. "Hi Derek," she offered softly. She turned her head just enough to take in the man next to her; a man no one knew she had been in contact with for the last three weeks. "Fancy running in to you here."

A laugh escaped his lips and was quickly followed by the two blondes. "First time I've seen you here, Breezy." The blush growing in her cheeks was true; there was no mask that could cover them. It happened the first time he said her nickname weeks ago.

"I don't get back here all that often," she answered. She slid her left hand against her hip and out of sight. Derek knew it was there; she could sense his hesitation when he caught sight of it before they left her mother's house. But she needed to keep up the image – for now. "Work and all that. It's a lot of travel."

"Where are you living now?" he asked as he placed his beer bottle on the table next to her glass. He smirked when he noticed she tightened her grip again.

Her lips pursed in to a smile. "Virginia." The meek answer caused Melody to gasp.

"How did we not put this together earlier?" she asked loudly before hitting Taylor's bicep to get her attention. "They live in the _same state_!" Breezy chuckled nervously as she watched the realization cross the two faces across from her. They did not know just _how close _they lived to each other.

Taylor shook her head and held up per forefinger. "Virginia is a big state," she stated. "What part are you living in Bree?"

"Stafford," she answered softly. With a shrug and knowing eyes, Bree turned to the man at her right. "What about you Derek? Last I heard you were in the FBI, right?"

Derek smirked; she was playing it up for her friends. He knew he could not say they lived about a mile away from each other. He wracked his brain thinking of where his other properties were. "I am," he answered proudly. "And I'm a little north in Garrisonville." Bree's lips peeled away to show a flawless smile at his answer. "Maybe we'll have to catch up some time."

She nodded enthusiastically. "That'd be really nice." She tried to ignore the feeling of his hand creeping up her back. He tried his best to keep his hands to himself but was finding it more and more difficult. "It was good to see you, Derek."

Derek offered a tense nod as he picked his bottle up and lifted it to his lips. "You too, Breezy," he said directly to the brunette. He glanced to the two blondes and smiled. "Ladies."

The two waved as he stepped away from the table. Breezy exhaled the breath she had been holding and shuffled her feet. The heeled boots were proving to not be the best idea for standing all night. Stupid her for picking a table with no chairs when most were now taken.

Her cell phone vibrated on the table top causing three sets of eyes to glance towards it. Breezy picked it up and directed it towards herself. _You put on a good show, Breezy. _

Her breath quickened as she read the text, but when she saw the looks on her friend's faces – waiting to find out what the message said – she shrugged. "It's nothing," she lied, trying to settle her heartbeat.

-xx-

_a/n: apologies for the delay. Christmas with two kiddos is extremely busy. hope everyone has a great and safe new year. xoxo_


End file.
